Man City will be out of title race if they drop more points, says Pep Guardiola amid Liverpool and Arsenal challenge

Pep Guardiola has admitted he knows any point dropped will see Manchester City relinquish their Premier League crown.

City They are third in the Premier League table behind Liverpool and Arsenal as they seek to regain their title.

Winning the league would allow them to do so for the fourth year in a row, a feat that had never before been achieved in the Premier League.

However, with eight games remaining, the champions are three points behind Liverpool and also on goal difference.

And Guardiola believes that if his team drops any points now, it could prove fatal to their title dreams.

“We are third and not far from the top of the league,” he said.

“If we lose points it will be almost impossible, so we have to win this game.”

The city assumes crystal Palace, live on talkSPORTat Saturday's 12:30pm early kick-off at Selhurst Park.

Earlier in the season, Palace managed to get a deserved draw at the Etihad and a similar result would do wonders for Arsenal and Liverpool.

But Guardiola could be left without a key duo Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne amid fears about his physical condition.

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“Playing at 12:30 BST and playing two days ago, I have to think (whether Haaland and De Bruyne will return). There are a lot of games,” he said.

“We played less than two and a half days after our last game. Some players recover faster than others.

“A long week is completely different, but in a short week you have to talk to the doctors, physiotherapists and staff.

“We are used to playing every three days for many months and months. For many, many years it has happened like this.

“We take one game at a time and we don't give up. We are not new to European competitions, so the players know how to handle it, not all the time, but most of the time.”