Pep Guardiola said he relishes the pressure at the sharp end of the season as he prepares for the next stage of Manchester City's FA Cup defence at Luton on Tuesday.
City are well placed to repeat last season's trophy treble as the 2023/24 campaign enters its final months.
They are just a point behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, on the brink of qualifying for the last eight of the Champions League and into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
City manager Guardiola, whose team have reached at least the semifinals of the competition in each of the past five seasons, said the end of the season was his favourite time.
"Playing every game that you have the feeling if you lose 'bye, bye', it's so nice," he said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.
"The problem in September and October is that you see the expectations far, far away, so in that moment you don't have to think about any titles, not even now I would say."
GOOD TEST
Guardiola expects a tough battle against relegation-threatened Luton, who lost 2-1 to City in a Premier League clash at Kenilworth Road in December despite taking the lead.
"Football is going in the direction that Luton play, so aggressive it doesn't matter if you are the top of the league, at the bottom or in the middle," he said.
"Courage to play, face the challenge without any fear and it's not just that... they play really, really well with the ball."
PEP
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