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Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City stars to expect one of their toughest games of the season when they face Swansea City, admitting: 'I can't work out how to beat them'.

Guardiola's men are odds-on favourites to dispatch a Swansea side still fighting for their Premier League lives despite a huge surge in belief following the appointment of Paul Clement.

But the former Barcelona boss – who boasts a forward line including Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and £27m wonderkid Gabriel Jesus – reckons he's struggling to find a way his side can break down a new-look Swans who he says are a completely different prospect under Clement.

Swansea have conceded 52 goals this season – the worst goals against tally in the division – but have shown a new resilience in recent weeks, helping them to back-to-back wins that have lifted them out of the bottom three ahead of Sunday's trip to the Etihad.

And Guardiola pulled no punches in assessing Swansea's new-found strength after hailing the instant impact of former Real Madrid and Bayern No.2 Clement.

Guardiola said: “I am really impressed. I saw their game against Liverpool yesterday and I watched their game against Southampton and I tried to discover and look for the way we can attack them and – wow – I didn't find it. It is so complicated.

“Immediately when I see their games I see his (Clement's) hands in his team. They are so well organised, really well organised with no space between the lines, no space in the middle, when you attack outside they defend the box really well. They also have the long balls to link to the striker where (Fernando) Llorente wins all the balls.

“And they have the quality players for the counter attack. It will be a real tough, tough games. I think one of the toughest games we have until the end of the season will be on Sunday.

“Because they are in a good moment – out of the last four games they won three – and especially the way they play. They won at Anfield, they won against Southampton so not against 'normal' teams but big teams so it will be really tough. Hopefully after winning two games in a row we can stay there.”