EPL: Pep Guardiola plays down hopes of Manchester City clinching title in derby

Pep GuardiolaPep Guardiola tried to play down growing excitement among Manchester City supporters over the possibility of winning the Premier League title when they face bitter rivals United in the derby early next month Jose Mourinhos side visit the Etihad Stadium on April 7 for a game which could see City make mathematically certain of being crowned champions following their 20 victory at Stoke on Monday First City must win their visit to midtable Everton but should they do so Guardiola will win his first league title in English football with victory over his old rival Mourinho at the Etihad Everybody is always asking this question said Guardiola But the important thing is on March 12 we have 81 points that is a lot of pointsWe want to be champions We need three wins but we are able to do it with two if City beat United But before and after United we have the Champions League quarterfinals and at the moment that is the most important thing to focus on I understand for the fans okay but the important thing is to be champions When and where it doesnt matter The inform English team are also in with a strong chance of winning Europes premier prize for the first time in their history The draw for the Champions League last eight takes place on Friday and Guardiola will watch it live along with his firstteam squad at their warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi where City flew immediately following the Stoke win Citys shock exit from the FA Cup at the hands of thirdtier Wigan leaves them without a game until the clash with Everton on the final day of the month We are going to be together and make three training sessions in five days said the City manager We are going to have lunch together dinner some people are playing golf But the weather conditions are better than here the forecast in Manchester is rain rain rain So we are going to go there and do the training we should be doing here Last season we were there and it was good and thats why were going to the airport nowFootball a welcome reliefCitys victory at Stoke came courtesy of two goals from David Silva whose season has been disrupted because of a family crisis following the premature birth of his son Mateo in December The City forward has been returning to Spain frequently to visit his family and admitted after his superb performance against Stoke that football has been a welcome relief I think when I play football I forget everything its good for me to play he said I know in my private life it is not a very happy moment But my son is fighting you know and I am very happy because he is getting stronger getting better so it is okayCity captain Vincent Kompany offered support to Silva who has been given permission to miss the Abu Dhabi trip to spend time in Spain David just explained his story it puts everything into perspective for us said the defender It is a massive boost and relief to be able to play this game like we do It gives us perspective and brings a moment of joy into our lives City meanwhile can look forward to a memorable finale to the season given their current form and dominance over the Premier League although their demanding manager is clearly not in the mood to allow his players to relax To motivate my players is really easy we are not champions yet and when we are we must carry on to focus on the next goals which is the Champions League quarterfinals said Guardiola There are always goals to pursue statistics to overcome and we will carry on and then work towards next season There is always room for improvement and that is what we will doCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever