(Dan Tri) – Before the great battle between Man City and Chelsea in round 12 of the Premier League, coach Pep Guardiola surprised him by thinking that his opponent was a bright candidate for the championship this season.

`Chelsea are one of the strongest teams in England, they won the Champions League under coach Thomas Tuchel beating ourselves.

That is one of the strongest teams, there is no doubt about this,` coach Pep Guardiola said before the big battle between Man City and Chelsea at 11:30 p.m. tonight (November 12, Vietnam time).

Chelsea only won 15 points after the opening 11 matches but won an impressive 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the previous round, thereby helping Man City take first place.

In fact, coach Mauricio Pochettino’s team has only lost one of its last 7 matches in all competitions, which was a 0-1 loss to Brentford last month.

Coach Pep Guardiola admitted that Chelsea is an opponent that can cause difficulties for Man City in round 12 of the Premier League (Photo: AP).

Although it is not a perfect start, coach Pep Guardiola believes that Chelsea is a competitor for the championship with Man City this season.

`They have a good spirit, are aggressive, play well, so this will be one of the most difficult matches we face this season but we are still optimistic going to Stamford Bridge.

Currently, we are top of the league and we have to try to maintain our quality in the league.

The Spanish strategist added: `Once again, when talking about Chelsea, we always remind ourselves that we have to make efforts because complacency will cost us. What you did well.

Striker Erling Haaland is the player that makes coach Pochettino most worried when Chelsea faces Man City (Photo: AP).

Meanwhile, coach Pochettino also praised Man City before the key match of round 12 of the Premier League.

We need to compete and know that this match will be difficult, but we will try to do our best.

The 51-year-old military leader added: `Man City dominates English football because they deserve it. That is the reality, we cannot say otherwise.

They are at the top and they are the team you want to beat and challenge because they are showing great quality.

Certainly our goal in the future is to take the lead and try to win the Premier League.