Pep Guardiola adds Newcastle United & Aston Villa to Man City list after Champions League challenges

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has listed Newcastle United among his side's 'rivals' in the Premier League.

Newcastle finished fourth in the league last season, 18 points behind winners City. The Magpies currently sit seventh in the table with Guardiola's side 16 points ahead in second.

Guardiola took charge of Man City at the start of the 2016-17 season. The Spaniard's first season in England saw Man City finish third behind Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur while Newcastle were competing in the Championship.

Since then, City have won five of the last six Premier League titles under Guardiola. The only exception being the 2019-20 Covid-hit campaign which saw Liverpool claim a first Premier League title.

But as City look to become the first team in English football history to win four consecutive league titles, Guardiola believes the competition in the league is more fierce than ever.

"At the beginning, Arsenal were not there and they are there [now]," Guardiola told TNT Sports. "[Manchester] United were always there in the beginning and will always be there.

"Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle - always the rivals are there."

Newcastle have competed in the Champions League this season while Aston Villa, who were also in the Championship when Guardiola took charge of City, are in with a good chance of qualifying for the competition for the first time in the Premier League era.

While Newcastle did knock Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup earlier this season, they have just one league win over Guardiola's side in 14 attempts. The Magpies were within minutes of securing a hard-earned point against City at St James' Park last month but conceded a stoppage-time goal from Oscar Bobb in a 3-2 defeat.

City completed the treble last season by winning the league, FA Cup and Champions League. They are on course for a potential repeat this campaign.