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Guardiola tells City to ignore 'little record' ahead of Celtic clash

Reuters

Pep Guardiola couldn't care less about Manchester City's chances of matching a record that's stood for over 50 years if his players manage to beat Celtic on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of City's Champions League encounter with the Scottish champions, Guardiola dismissed the prospect of bringing the team's winning streak to 11 straight victories - a mark last achieved by Tottenham to begin the 1960-61 campaign.

"Wins help to win more. Confidence is a real aspect to the way we play, but every game is hard," Guardiola told reporters. "Tomorrow I am not concerned or focused on a little, little record."

Instead, the Spanish gaffer simply hopes his team continues to improve on the pitch and replicate the form that's helped City soar to the top of the Premier League table.

"In the future an English team will win 12-13 games in a row, that is going to happen," he added. "What I want tomorrow is to play well. I want to continue with what we have done in the last months, continue to do the things we have done really well, and improve on the aspects we have to improve on to win the game.

"Football is a process and my happiness as coach is to see the team getting better. Maybe small steps but getting better. That is what I want to see tomorrow."

Despite Celtic's embarrassing defeat to Group D rivals Barcelona during the opening match of the group stage, Guardiola insists he and his players won't take The Hoops lightly.

"Many teams suffer what happened in Barcelona," Guardiola, who coached Barca for four seasons. "Seven goals is a lot of goals but Barcelona start quick and after, mentally, the players are upset with what happened. But tomorrow they will be focused.”

Record aside, a win over Celtic would also represent City's best start in the Champions League after Guardiola's men breezed to victory during a 4-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.

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