Pep Guardiola makes shocking Arsenal admission ahead of Stamford Bridge clash with Chelsea

Pep Guardiola believes it will take a significant drop in Arsenal’s performance levels for Manchester City to catch them at the top of the Premier League.

Champions City have a chance to close the gap on Arsenal to five points when they visit Chelsea on Thursday, after the Gunners were held to a draw by Newcastle on Tuesday.

Nonetheless, Guardiola was impressed by Mikel Arteta’s side and believes City will have little room for error for the rest of the season.

‘The way to close the gap is to play well and win games,’ Guardiola said at a press conference ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.

‘But they (Arsenal) are going to score 100 points or more the way they have been going so far. We will not be able to catch them if they continue in this manner.

‘From here to the end of the season, we have to be almost perfect, I would say, and hope they drop a little bit in their performance, because they were excellent yesterday. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.’

Chelsea has won just one of their last seven Premier League games entering Thursday’s match, but Guardiola is not expecting an easy evening.

The match is the first of two back-to-back meetings with the Blues, with Graham Potter’s side visiting the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup on Sunday.

‘It’s a tough game, (against) a tough side, well managed,’ Guardiola said. What can I say about Stamford Bridge? It’s always difficult to travel there, no matter what position you’re in.

‘However, we are looking forward to this week and the next two weeks for the various competitions, particularly the Premier League.’

City’s upcoming fixtures include a Carabao Cup quarter-final, a Manchester derby, and two games against Tottenham.

Rico Lewis, a youngster who has caught the eye since the return of top-flight football following the World Cup, will hope to keep his place.

The 18-year-old has performed admirably at right-back, having been chosen ahead of returning England defender Kyle Walker.

There have been reports that the Academy graduate could be offered a better contract, and while Guardiola would not comment on that, he does admit that he has been very impressed.

‘On the contract, I’m not the person, I don’t know the club’s decision,’ Guardiola said.

‘However, what he’s done in the last three games against top teams, under pressure, and how well he played, has exceeded my expectations. Everything looks good when we review the games.

‘He is a very intelligent player who can play in a number of positions. We are delighted that the Academy has produced another outstanding player, and we hope he will remain for a long time.’