Pep Guardiola has aimed a subtle dig at Manchester United ahead of their game in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, saying that Manchester City have a superior record to the Red devils in recent years.
City are due to arrive at Old Trafford for their first leg of the semi-final tie against United as they look to defend the trophy they won last season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team produced their best performance of the 2019-20 season to date during a 2-1 over City on December 7, with Rashford and Anthony Martial grabbing the goals for the Red devils.
United have not been able to build on that result though, picking up just four victories from their last eight matches across all competitions.
City, meanwhile, have bounced back from the disappointment of that home defeat to win seven out of eight games, and Guardiola does not believe that a power shift has taken place in Manchester.
Guardiola told a press conference on Monday: “When you play games for many years sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
“Against United, a top club, you can win and lose games. I didn’t come here and expect to beat Man United all the time.
“We’ve beaten them more than we lose in the regular season. That is important.”
Guardiola did, however, reserve praise for Solskjaer, who has faced plenty of criticism for the club’s inconsistency this campaign.
The City manager acknowledges the size of the task the Norwegian has taken on at the theatre of dreams, but believes his ideas are finally beginning to translate onto the pitch.