Guardiola confident in title pursuit as Man City prepare for Villa

MANCHESTER, England :Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola insists they are far from finished in the Premier League title race, offering a wry take on the narrative surrounding his side's campaign ahead of their trip on Sunday to Aston Villa.

City - who won six league titles in seven years before finishing third last season - trail leaders Arsenal by three points after eight games, and Guardiola poked fun at pundits' early-season narratives.

"In the first two, three games we were done and now it looks like Liverpool (who are third after three consecutive losses) are done," Guardiola said, tongue in cheek. "I'll tell you that we will be back. 

"I've said many times that the pundits, the specialists, the former footballers know what's going to happen after five games — I'm not able to do that."

Guardiola believes the picture will only become clearer deeper into the season. 

"Ten, 15 games to know what's going on. Liverpool and Arsenal are there, someone else will be there and hopefully we can be there," he told reporters on Friday.

There were no changes on the injury front, with Guardiola confirming that those who missed their 2-0 midweek Champions League win over Villarreal - including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who has not played since injuring his hamstring ahead of the October international break - remain sidelined.

There is uncertainty around Nico Gonzalez's availability after he was taken off with a foot injury against Villarreal. 

"I didn't see the doctors," Guardiola said. "We'll see today and tomorrow how he feels. It was something with his feet."

Guardiola also weighed in on the growing trend of long throw-ins, a tactic City have largely avoided. 

"We'd have to buy a player with strong shoulders and arms to put the ball in (to