MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned Arsenal that the Premier League title race is far from over despite their strong start to the season.
Arsenal are six points clear at the top after eight wins and a draw from their first 10 games.
Mikel Arteta's side have also only conceded three league goals all season and have kept eight clean sheets in a row in all competitions.
The two nearest challengers, City and Liverpool, meet at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, and Guardiola believes there's still plenty of time for either team to catch the leaders.
"If they continue in that way and don't concede goals, it will be almost impossible, but you always expect you will be better and they will drop points," Guardiola told a news conference on Friday.
"It is exceptional what they are doing for two or three seasons.
"It looks like every time it is closer and closer, but we are in early November and you cannot win the title. You can lose it, but you cannot win it."
Guardiola is likely to be without Rodri against Liverpool.
The midfielder made his latest comeback as a late substitute against Bournemouth last weekend, but then missed the midweek Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund.
"We'll see but I think we won't take the risk with the international break," Guardiola said.
"We have to make the time when he feels strong and fit and can sustain actions in the games that are so demanding. We have to make that step.
"We are still in November. The best part of the season is ahead of us and we need him. We are still playing without a massively important player for us and we are desperate to have him back."
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Liverpool's visit to the Etihad will mark Guardiola's 1,000th game as a manager.
After starting at Barcelona B in 2007, he's had stops at Barcelona's first team, Bayern Munich and City and accumulated more than 700 wins and 37 major trophies.
"The numbers are insane, I'm sorry to tell you," Guardiola said.
"I'm not thinking how many, but when you have the milestones and you read what you have done; the victories, the average, not just in the Premier League but in Champions League, we have won incredible things in Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here.
"It is difficult to reach and if I start again I would not reach it, it is too much games. A few defeats compared to 1000 games and hopefully on Sunday [against Liverpool] I hope we can continue."