London: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City cannot afford to lose any more games if they are to defend their Premier League title. The champions are currently third in the table and trail leaders Liverpool by nine points after 13 games. "I am not thinking how many games we have to win," Guardiola said on Friday. "I know we cannot lose games but I'm not thinking about winning the Premier League right now. "I never thought about it the years when we won. Of course it is on our minds but I don't think what we have to do to win the Premier League."

Guardiola feared City had suffered a terminal blow to their title ambitions last season when they were beaten at Newcastle in January. They responded by winning their next 14 games to pip Liverpool to the crown by a point. City return to the scene of that defeat as they face the Magpies, now managed by Steve Bruce, at St James' Park on Saturday. Guardiola also expressed sympathy for Unai Emery after the Arsenal boss was sacked but said reports linking his assistant Mikel Arteta with the Emirates job were "not a question for me".