Pep Guardiola insists that a top four finish would be a ‘big achievement’ – as Man City face reality of their major drop-off this season

Serial winner Pep Guardiola would consider Manchester City finishing in the top four as a ‘Wow’ achievement because of the difficulties they’ve faced this season.

Guardiola has lifted 57 trophies as player and manager but his team face Liverpool tomorrow trailing the Premier League leaders by 17 points due to chronic injuries and the loss of form of star players.

Rodri, John Stones and Manuel Akanji are all long-term absentees, and Erling Haaland (knee) is a doubt. 

Key players including Kevin De Bruyne, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake have missed chunks of the campaign and skipper Kyle Walker departed for AC Milan after struggling.

Asked by Mail Sport if he could be proud of a third or fourth place, Guardiola replied: ‘Unbelievable. Wow. 100 per cent it will be a big achievement. We go to dinner, I invite you. You choose the restaurant, I pay!

‘The target is to qualify for the Champions League. It would be a big success. My mindset is I think we’ll do it but reality will dictate where we are.’

City have been hampered by a dip in form from key players, as well as long-term absentees

The Citizens face Liverpool on Sunday looking to take three points off the league leaders

Guardiola urged his players not to hide from the current reality, with the FA Cup the only remaining silverware that the club could win.

‘I said to them, ‘Try to be here’,’ he added.

‘I couldn’t spend the last years of my life thinking the first time we struggled I didn’t care. No, I am here until the end.’

Manchester City host Premier League leaders Liverpool tomorrow looking to take three points off a team they’ve long jousted with at the top of table.

While carrying good domestic form into the contest, they’ll need to bounce back from continental heartache after being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in midweek, courtesy of a scintillating hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.