Guardiola voices his support for Wenger

Cape Town - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has come out in support of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, saying that he will always back under-pressure managers.

Wenger found himself on the end of fresh criticism following the 3-0 defeat against City in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, and his opposite number insists he has a lot of sympathy for his situation.

The two sides will clash once more on Thursday night when City travel to the Emirates Stadium for a Premier League fixture that could see them extend their lead at the top of the standings to 16 points.

"I always support my colleagues because we feel the same when we win, when we lose," said Guardiola, speaking at his pre-match press conference.

"We accept the opinions of the fans and the people and you feel alone. Believe me, you feel alone because there's a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

"I understand completely. I'd like to tell him that I am close, I am on the same side as him. That's why I don't understand when other managers criticise the other managers.

"It's tough to send a message to the other ones from here because everyone understands how you feel when you lose. What happened can happen to me in the future.

"We won, I'm good. Arsene Wenger didn't win so he's not good."

Gunners welcome City to the Emirates Stadium for a rare Thursday evening Premier League clash.

Kick-off is at 21:45 (SA time).