Pep Guardiola has thrown his support behind the prospect of leading players going on strike over the increasingly punishing schedule.

Pep Guardiola has told elite soccer players that they are the only ones who can force change in the face of a growing dispute over the number of games they are being asked to play. Manchester City midfielder Rodri says players are close to going on strike because of an increasingly congested fixture schedule that will be added to with next year's expanded Club World Cup in the United States.

Into the final year of his contract at Manchester City questions are being asked again about Pep Guardiola’s future.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Arsenal (kick-off 16:30 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference:

It was anticipated that the Belgian would miss the clash with Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola has now claimed that this may not be the case. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola revealed that De Bruyne could still be available against Arsenal despite his injury.