Pep Guardiola makes bold Man City claim - 'I don't have any doubts'

Manchester City are well placed to mount a challenge on several fronts this season and if his squad stays fit Pep Guardiola is confident he can do it.

Pep Guardiola has backed Manchester City to stay in the hunt for another treble this season - as long as he can keep his squad fit throughout the campaign.

A year on from an injury crisis that derailed 2024/25, City are in much better shape and will be without just Rodri and Mateo Kovacic for Saturday's trip to Newcastle. Rodri is due back sooner rather than later, although Kovacic has been ruled out until at least February after undergoing a second round of surgery on a troublesome Achilles.

City reached the FA Cup final last season, losing to Crystal Palace, and eventually rallied to finish third in the Premier League, although their title defence was over by this stage last term. They were knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round and beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League play-off round.

Guardiola has since claimed it was impossible to compete with his squad beset by injuries, but with a clean bill of health this season, the Blues are proving they are contenders once again. They could cut Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point with a win at St James' Park, are in a strong position in the Champions League and have already reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

"If we continue with the squad fit, we'll compete every single game and every single competition," declared Guardiola. "I don't have any doubts about that. Last season we were not even going to compete in one competition.

"Where everybody is right now. Kova will be a bit later, but Rodri will come back soon and everybody can be [available]. Of course, during the season, there are injuries, we know that. But I feel we can compete in every competition."

City have greater depth this season than at any point in Guardiola's reign after a £300million spending spree in 2025 saw 10 new players arrive. That has allowed them to absorb Rodri's fitness issues and the loss of Kovacic.

The Croatian had surgery in the summer after suffering an Achilles injury towards the end of last season, but has had to go back under the knife after struggling with further pain on his comeback, having managed just 37 minutes against Villarreal and Everton.

"He made an incredible effort, it was unbelievable with the pain," said Guardiola. "He played a few minutes before the surgery, and the training sessions, and we see how he suffered. We wanted to continue, but their arrived a moment [where he] could not continue, and the best is clean it and come back.

"If you take more time, it's fine. But to play football, you have to, at that age, always you have niggles, have pain. It's normal, but not the limitation that he had before that surgery, and hopefully can recover well."