Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola reveals 'incredible' preparation for tough Leeds United challenge

The Spaniard knows his side cannot afford to drop any points when they visit Elland Road for a Premier League clash on Saturday evening.

With Liverpool just one point behind them, the holding champions must win against Leeds to keep their hopes of defending their title alive.

In scintillating form, City look like closing the season out in style having gone undefeated in seven league games and netted a whopping 12 goals in their last three games in all competitions.

But Guardiola knows that his side's opponents, along with the Elland Road faithful, have just as much to fight for on Saturday and his players haven't let up in their preparations for the game.

"It's tougher because at Leeds it's tough," Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference.

"I know the crowd and they are fighting for, they need points and we need points too. We know it - the people feel it.

"The way they train today, I saw an incredible focus and I think every everyone in the club knows what we are playing for in this last part of the season and what you have to do.

"In our last three games, we scored a lot of goals, we created an incredible lot of chances and this is what you have to continue to do.

"In football, sometimes you have rewards, sometimes you have to accept the defeats."

Guardiola has long been an admirer of former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa, under whose leadership Leeds claimed a draw and a win over Manchester City last season.

He and his players haven't forgot Leeds' exploits last season, but they are more than ready to face the West Yorkshire side again.

"Always [tough] when I play with Leeds - look, last season we dropped five points," Guardiola said.

"Jesse Marsch made an incredible job in Salzburg and, of course, in the States before and Leipzig was the perfect place for him for the culture, that Salzburg style, the pressing. Right now here in England, many teams play in that way, so I have a lot of respect.

"And we spoke a lot about that, they know exactly - they saw it today - we spoke about what a special team they are for the way they play.

"But we accept the challenge and we know exactly what you have to do and we're going to try to do it."

The Sky Blues LS11 visit comes sandwiched between two huge games as City compete against Real Madrid in a two-legged Champions League semi-final tie.

Guardiola's side ran out 4-3 winners in a pulsating first leg on Tuesday and will travel to Madrid for the second leg next Wednesday, but that won't change anything in his approach to Saturday's Premier League clash.

"It will probably be - because it's in between the Champions League semi-final it's the toughest, well, I wouldn't say the toughest because after that it's Newcastle, Wolves, West Ham, Aston Villa will be tough - but it's the most important for the position the games we are going to play, the most important game that we have because after Madrid whether we're in the final Champions League or not, we just have four games left in the Premier League."