Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for Manchester City's Premier League rivals as the champions prepare to face Tottenham tomorrow (Saturday).

City host Spurs at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow in the first clash between two of last season's top four in the Premier League, with Guardiola coming up against Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout for the first time this season.

But following Jose Mourinho's claim that only Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City's B team can win the Premier League this season, Guardiola has given his views on his side's main rivals in the top six.

"[Manchester City's director of football] Txiki Begiristain made an incredible job," he said, speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of City's game against Spurs.

"I’m really impressed with Chelsea against [Manchester] United and Liverpool. They didn’t win but I was surprised with how good they played.

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"We saw United with the quality they have up front. Arsenal bought good players with Nicolas Pepe and David Luiz, [Dani] Ceballos was a top player in Spain. They are all really good contenders."

Meanwhile, Guardiola said that City will be coming up against the "second best team in Europe" when they face Spurs tomorrow, after Tottenham lost out to Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid in June.

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"Since I came here to England, Spurs have been a real contender every season," he said.

"he first season they finished second… they’ve always been there. They’re the second best team in Europe."