Lionel Messi will be absent when Paris Saint-Germain face Monaco on Saturday, but coach Christophe Galtier says he will return for next week's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Messi joined Neymar in a two-pronged PSG attack for Wednesday's surprise Coupe de France defeat to rivals Marseille, with Kylian Mbappe missing as a result of a hamstring issue.

After PSG announced that injury could rule Mbappe out of the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern, reports suggested Messi was also doubtful after sustaining a similar problem.  

However, Galtier eased fears Messi could miss Tuesday's meeting with the Bundesliga giants on Friday, although the World Cup winner is set to sit out PSG's Ligue 1 trip to Monaco.

"Leo has felt muscle fatigue, he will resume training on Monday. He is not uncertain for Bayern," Galtier said at his pre-match press conference. 

"We know the importance of Leo to our game. With his absence, we will have to play in a different way to have a more solid, more compact team structure, to use each other. 

"Obviously, going to Monaco without Leo is always annoying."

Messi's tally of 29 goal contributions this season (15 goals, 14 assists) is only bettered by three players from Europe's top five leagues, with Manchester City's Erling Haaland (34) leading PSG team-mates Neymar (32) and Mbappe (31).

PSG's reporting of Mbappe's injury has been met with scepticism in Munich, with Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann saying the French club are "playing poker" regarding his availability.

Asked whether he would be prepared to risk Mbappe on Tuesday, Galtier said: "The player's health comes first. I will be very vigilant about the player's health, especially as the season is long.

"Regarding Kylian, the communication has been made. We spoke of a three-week period of unavailability. Kylian is undergoing treatment."

PSG have endured an underwhelming start to 2023, failing to keep a clean sheet in their past four Ligue 1 games and losing two away matches in the league since the turn of the year, only one fewer than they did in the entirety of 2022.

Galtier's men are the only Ligue 1 side yet to win 1,000 duels in the competition this season (998), and he believes they need to be more aggressive to turn their form around.

"The players were very affected in the locker room after the [Marseille] match and yesterday," he said. "You have to avoid long speeches but also show them what did not work.

"When there is so much disappointment, it is useless to get angry. You have to keep a very cool head.

"We are going to have a series against intense teams who impose duels. We will have to respond. 

"At the moment, we are not finding this aggressiveness. The players have to make a big effort on the mental aspects to win a lot more duels in the middle."

Lionel Messi's relationship with Barcelona is unaffected by comments made by the legendary forward's brother, according to club president Joan Laporta.

Matias Messi suggested in a question and answer session on streaming platform Twitch that "no one knew" Barca prior to his younger sibling's trophy-laden spell at Camp Nou.

The 40-year-old also said he would make sure to "kick out Laporta" as part of a "good cleaning" in the boardroom if his brother ever returned to the Catalan heavyweights.

He posted an apology on his Instagram account on Wednesday, stating he "was just joking with my son and friends", but the comments did not go down well at Barca.

However, speaking at a press conference on Thursday to discuss Barca's latest accounts, Laporta insisted those remarks will not impact Messi's status at the club.

"I take away the importance of anything said by his brother," Laporta said. "He has since apologised. I don't think about it any more.

"It doesn't affect the relationship [between Messi and Barcelona] at all.

"I don't want to comment on a player from another team any further out of respect.

"Leo Messi is forever part of Barcelona and we are proud of that. He is the best in the world and the best in history."

Messi scored a club record 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona across 17 seasons as a first-team player, during which time he won 35 trophies.

The Argentina international departed for Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021 and his famed number 10 shirt has since been inherited by fellow academy player Ansu Fati.

Fati has been linked with a move away from Barca in recent weeks, with Manchester United reportedly interested, but Laporta ruled out an exit in the next transfer window.

"Right now we are not considering it," he said. "I cannot predict the future, but Ansu Fati is a player with whom we have great hopes. 

"It all depends on whether he remains useful for the club and for [head coach] Xavi. He has a lot of expectations on him and we are not willing to sell the player at this time.

"We have no news that the player wants to leave, and we will continue to do what suits the club."

Laporta also confirmed Ousmane Dembele is not for sale, while captain Sergio Busquets's future beyond the end of this season when his contract expires is still unknown.

Barcelona, who are eight points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga, are back in action on Sunday with a trip to Villarreal.

Ruslan Malinovskiy's stunner settled an enthralling Classique in Marseille's favour as they beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 to reach the Coupe de France quarter-finals.

Malinovskiy's fantastic winner was just reward for a scintillating Marseille display at Stade Velodrome on Wednesday.

Igor Tudor's team had 12 shots in the first half and took the lead through Alexis Sanchez's 31st-minute penalty, which was cancelled out by Sergio Ramos' header.

Ramos thought he had sent the tie to penalties when he headed home in stoppage time, but the offside flag came to Marseille's salvation.

A frantic opening set the tone. Pau Lopez denied Nuno Mendes before Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped over from Cengiz Under, saved Malinovskiy's stinging effort and watched Sead Kolasinac's strike arrow just wide.

PSG's luck ran out when Ramos tumbled into Under just inside the area – Sanchez coolly sending Donnarumma the wrong way from the spot and becoming the first Marseille player to net in a home Classique since Florian Thauvin in 2017.

Neymar struck the right-hand post with a superb low shot, though the woodwork then came to PSG's rescue when Under clipped the crossbar after Donnarumma unconvincingly thwarted Jonathan Clauss.

Marseille were made to pay for their profligacy on the cusp of half-time, Ramos nodding in from Neymar's corner.

Parity lasted just 12 minutes, though, with Malinovskiy lashing a venomous half-volley beyond Donnarumma from the edge of the box.

Valentin Rongier's wonderfully timed tackle prevented Mendes going through on goal as PSG hunted an immediate response.

Marseille were immensely fortunate Ramos strayed offside before heading in from a cross-shot that hit the bar, though they ultimately deserved their luck as 14-time Coupe de France winners PSG crashed out at the same stage as last season.

Lionel Messi held talks with Inter over a potential move to the Italian giants after leaving Barcelona, Javier Zanetti has revealed.

Messi left Barca in 2021 after lifting 10 LaLiga titles and four Champions League trophies with the club, eventually opting to sign for Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.

But Zanetti, a former team-mate of Messi with Argentina and now vice-president of Inter, says there was a chance the diminutive forward could have joined the 19-time Serie A champions before he chose PSG.

Zanetti pointed to Inter's financial inferiority with their rivals for Messi's signature as the main reason for him going elsewhere, telling DAZN: "I was surprised when he left Barcelona.

"Realistically, we cannot compete with PSG or Premier League clubs, but due to our rapport, we spoke when there was a chance."

Messi has since won a Ligue 1 title with PSG while also finally earning World Cup glory with Argentina, while Inter have struggled to replicate the form that saw them end a 10-year wait for another Serie A title in the 2020-21 campaign.

After missing out on retaining the title by two points to rivals Milan last season, the Nerazzurri are running out of time to overhaul a 13-point gap to leaders Napoli this campaign with Luciano Spalletti's team showing no signs of slowing down the rampant pace that has seen them win 18 of their 21 top-flight games.

The Partenopei's sole defeat came at the hands of Inter in January, and Zanetti has mixed feelings about his team's efforts this term, saying: "We could have done more in the league. We miss some points, but it's part of a path that this team is consistently carrying out.

"Mistakes are normal with such a packed fixture list, but I've always seen a team that wants to impose its style, trying to cause trouble for opponents.

"We've been able to react to difficulties and I find that some criticism has been exaggerated."

Centre-back Milan Skriniar will join Messi at PSG next season after choosing to turn down a new contract with Inter and instead make the move to France at the end of his current deal.

Zanetti hopes Skriniar will remain in the right headspace to help Inter to the best of his capabilities over the rest of the season, with Simone Inzaghi's side still fighting for silverware in the Champions League and Coppa Italia alongside their league duties, having already lifted the Supercoppa Italiana by thrashing Milan 3-0 in Saudi Arabia last month.

"We offered him a contract within our financial reach, but he made a different choice," Zanetti added. "Now we need to put him in the best condition to give his best until the end of the season."

Paris Saint-Germain remain in contract talks with Lionel Messi, with the club's football advisor Luis Campos hopeful of reaching an agreement.

Messi's two-year deal with PSG is due to expire at the end of the season, and the 35-year-old has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.

A return to Barcelona has also been mooted for Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory last year, winning the Golden Ball award following a series of talismanic displays in Qatar.

While reports in December suggested he had reached an agreement in principle to stay with PSG, no announcement has been made on his future beyond this campaign.

Campos has confirmed discussions are ongoing with Messi, who he hopes will renew after recording 29 goal involvements (15 goals, 14 assists) in 24 PSG appearances this season. 

"I would like to have him in this project, I cannot hide it, I would be delighted if he continues with us," Campos told Telefoot.

"But we are still discussing at the moment to achieve this goal, to continue to have Lionel Messi with us."

PSG came close to recruiting another left-footed attacker as the January transfer window drew to a close, only for a proposed loan move for Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech to fall through.

The Parisians were reportedly foiled by Chelsea's failure to submit the correct paperwork before the transfer deadline, leaving Campos in no doubt as to the Blues' responsibility for the failed move.

"We had the player with us, we had done everything," he said. "But like in all transfers, we need the three parts, player and both clubs, to work well. 

"In this case, it worked very well for PSG, it worked well with Ziyech and unfortunately it didn't work out for the last part."

Christophe Galtier hailed another match-winning contribution from Lionel Messi after Paris Saint-Germain beat Toulouse 2-1 to go eight points clear at the top of Ligue.

PSG suffered an early blow at the Parc des Princes on Saturday when midfielder Renato Sanches left the field in tears after joining an injury list that includes the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Sergio Ramos.

Things took another turn when Branco van den Boomen's free-kick gave Toulouse a surprise lead 20 minutes in.

They responded like champions, Achraf Hakimi equalising with a sublime left-foot finish from 20 yards out after cutting in from the right seven minutes before the break.

Hakimi then provided an assist for the mercurial Messi, who produced a clinical first-time finish from outside the penalty area increase PSG's lead over Marseille - who face Nice on Sunday.

Messi is up to 10 goals for the season for a 16th time in one of the top five European leagues, this being the first campaign he has hit double figures for the Parisian giants.

PSG head coach Galtier was pleased with the way his side recovered from losing midfielder Sanches and falling behind.

He said: "We had a tough start to the match with Renato's injury early on. I decided to bring on El Chadaille [Bitshiabu] very quickly, he's been showing for many weeks that he's Ligue 1 level.

"We knew Toulouse's quality from set-pieces. They are one of the most dangerous teams in Ligue 1 from set-pieces. But overall we controlled the game. We had to get back on level terms and take risks against a very compact defence.

"In that sense, Achraf, as he did against Montpellier even though the goal was ruled out, this time scored with his left foot.

"Then the second half was much better for us going forward even though we needed to be careful of the balance of the team. Marqui [Marquinhos] and Chad, who I think won the ball most today, were great centre-backs today, one young and one with experience were able to stop the Toulouse counter-attacks.

"We were able, thanks to Leo's quality and his determination, to take the team to victory and win in a game that seemed like we should have won."

Lionel Messi and Achraf Hakimi were on target as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Toulouse 2-1 and go eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1.

Branco van den Boomen's free-kick gave Toulouse a surprise lead at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, but the champions fought back without injured duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Hakimi equalised with a sublime first-half strike and he was credited with the assist for a brilliantly taken second goal from Messi after the break.

PSG were good value for a victory that increased their advantage over Marseille at the summit and they will take some stopping in their quest to retain the title.

PSG suffered an early blow when Renato Sanches was seemingly in tears as he departed with an injury and they were rocked again when Van den Boomen sent a free-kick to the left of the wall and into the far corner 20 minutes in.

Marquinhos nodded Messi's whipped corner against the post and PSG were relieved to see the offside flag go up after Zakaria Aboukhlal thought he had headed Toulouse into a two-goal lead.

Hakimi produced the moment of quality the leaders had been lacking to level seven minutes before the break, cutting in from the right and unleashing a venomous left-foot drive that found the back of the net from 20 yards out.

The marauding Hakimi was involved in PSG's second goal just before the hour-mark, embarking on a run that that resulted in Messi firing a clinical left-foot finish beyond Maxime Dupe from outside the box.

PSG did not see the game out in convincing fashion and Mikkel Desler spurned a great chance to make it 2-2, before Messi rattled the post in a frantic finale.

Kylian Mbappe has not been mishandled by Paris Saint-Germain since the World Cup and injuries are "part of the job", coach Christophe Galtier said on Friday.

Mbappe is expected to miss PSG's Champions League last-16 first leg against Bayern Munich on February 14 after suffering a hamstring injury in the win at Montpellier on Wednesday.

Facing three weeks on the sidelines, Mbappe should also sit out Ligue 1 games against Toulouse, Monaco and Lille, as well as the Coupe de France clash with Marseille.

Considering Mbappe has 25 goals in 26 appearances for PSG this season, this is a major blow at a significant stage of the campaign, with Neymar also on the injured list.

The Toulouse game comes on Saturday as PSG look to extend their five-point lead over second-placed Marseille, with Lionel Messi heading into the fixture without his fellow star attackers.

Galtier has considered whether he has played Mbappe too much since the France striker returned from Qatar 2022. His verdict is that PSG have protected Mbappe as much as possible.

"We are in a unique season, with a World Cup in the middle," Galtier said, "and I realise that at many other clubs with many internationals, there has been fatigue that has generated automatically and injuries.

"As a philosophy, I am in the habit of saying injuries are part of the job.

"We're sorry above all for Kylian. He is a competitor and always wants to be involved, but we can't have a season where we don't have physical problems, that's part of a season and part of the competition. 

"It's even more so for a club with internationals who are in demand all the time, as much with club as with country."

Galtier said PSG "took a lot of precautions for Kylian's return".

The striker reported for duty with the capital giants in the midweek after France's World Cup final penalty shoot-out loss to Argentina in December, illustrating his eagerness to get back into club action.

He was then allowed a holiday in January, with Mbappe travelling to the United States for that break.

"I don't think Kylian played too much," Galtier said, "and from the moment you play, there is always an element of risk."

Veteran defender Sergio Ramos, hit by a thigh problem at Montpellier, is another who will sit out the Toulouse game. The onus will fall on Messi to drive PSG to victory on Saturday, and the Argentine great scored in the 3-1 success at Montpellier.

"Leo Messi was able to take matters into his own hands against Montpellier, as soon as Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos went off," said Galtier.

"He was a natural leader and the players put themselves at his service. I congratulated everyone for doing the work necessary to get this victory, which was difficult to obtain.

"The absence of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is inevitably damaging since there were many connections between these three players. I now have to organise the team, taking into account these combined absences.

"Leo Messi will continue in his usual role. It will be up to the players who will be at his side to seize the opportunities and for everyone to raise their level of play."

Lionel Messi insists there is no problem between himself and Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Kylian Mbappe following Argentina's World Cup final triumph over France.

Messi finally won the biggest prize of them all in Qatar last year, guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title since 1986.

Argentina appeared to be cruising to victory when 2-0 up at half-time, but a quick-fire double from Mbappe near the end of the regulation 90 minutes took the game to extra time.

Messi's second goal of the game had Argentina back in control again, but as before, Mbappe levelled to complete his hat-trick with two minutes left, forcing a penalty shoot-out.

Argentina ultimately prevailed 4-2 on penalties to spark wild celebrations, some of which bizarrely seemed to revolve around Mbappe.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was said to have called for a moment of silence for Mbappe in the changing room afterwards, and then during Argentina's celebratory parade in Buenos Aires he was spotted carrying a doll with the PSG forward's face stuck on.

But Messi does not believe any of the controversy has impacted his relationship with his club-mate.

He told Ole: "We talked about the game, the festivities, how people experienced it in Argentina when I was on vacation, and the festivities we had. Nothing, nothing more.

"I was on the other side too, I lost a World Cup final too, and I didn't want to know anything about it, about what happened, and nothing related to the World Cup at that time.

"That's why I don't want to talk about it [to Mbappe] either, but the truth is that there is no problem with Kylian, on the contrary."

Some of Argentina's celebrations – most notably Martinez's behaviour – fed into a negative perception of the team in the eyes of some.

There was also the photo of their reaction to beating the Netherlands on penalties earlier in the tournament, with many of the Argentina players appearing to goad their opponents as they ran off to celebrate.

But Messi is adamant Argentina have been done a disservice, again explaining how their reaction to the Dutch was simply a response to apparent unsporting conduct from Louis van Gaal's team.

"It seems unfair to me that Argentina's lack of fair play was mentioned because it's not true," he continued.

"We always behaved in an exemplary manner, on and off the pitch. My team-mates were impressive.

"I think they talk because of what happened with the Netherlands, that it all started there. It was the Dutch who spoke and who wanted to destabilise our players when we were going to take the penalties.

"Everyone talks about what Argentina did after their victory but no one talks about that. It seems to me we should watch it back more carefully and see what happened, and then comment."

Hussein El-Shahat matched the exploits of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale by scoring at a third Club World Cup as Al Ahly beat Auckland City 3-0 in the first round.

El-Shahat opened the scoring with a low 25-yard drive on the stroke of half-time in Tangier on Wednesday, before neat one-on-one finishes from Mohamed Sherif and Percy Tau made Al Ahly's victory safe.

The winger's effort took him to three goals in three editions of the tournament, having also found the net for Al Ain in 2018 and with his current club in 2021.

Ronaldo, Messi and Bale are the only other players to net at three separate Club World Cups, while Ronaldo is the competition's all-time top scorer with seven goals.

Ronaldo is also the only player to score for two separate champions at the tournament, doing so for Manchester United in 2008 and Real Madrid in 2016 and 2017, while Messi found the net during Barcelona's triumphant 2009, 2011 and 2015 campaigns.

Wednesday's game was also notable for referee Ma Ning announcing the rationale for his decision to send off Auckland's Adam Mitchell to the crowd after being sent to the VAR monitor, as part of a 12-month trial across FIFA tournaments.

Al Ahly's reward for their comprehensive win is a second-round tie against the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, the winners of which will face European champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Morocco's Wydad Casablanca will face Al Hilal in the other second-round fixture, with the victors going on to face Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo for a spot in the final.

Paris Saint-Germain overcame an injury to Kylian Mbappe as goals from Fabian Ruiz, Lionel Messi and 16-year-old Warren Zaire Emery saw them beat Montpellier 3-1 in Ligue 1 at the Parc-des Princes on Wednesday.

Mbappe had already missed a penalty, and its subsequent retake for a Montpellier encroachment, before coming off in the 21st minute with a worrying-looking injury, clutching his hamstring as he went straight down the tunnel.

But after Messi and Achraf Hakimi both saw goals chalked off for offside, Fabian poked home in the 55th minute before Messi added a second to put Christophe Galtier's men in control.

Arnaud Nordin pulled one back only for Zaire Emery to come off the bench to score his first senior goal, sealing a victory that is PSG's first in three league games and puts their hopes of lifting a ninth title in 11 seasons back on track.

PSG were awarded a penalty after just seven minutes when Christopher Jullien hauled down Sergio Ramos from a free-kick into Montpellier's box.

Mbappe's initial spot-kick was saved by Benjamin Lecomte, but a Montpellier encroachment prompted a retake, only for the France international to see his second attempt tipped onto the post by Lecomte before sending the rebound over the bar.

After Mbappe and Sergio Ramos (head) were both forced off with injury, Messi thought he had put PSG in front with a clever chipped finish, though a VAR review ruled him offside to send the game into the break goalless.

Messi blasted into the side-netting following half-time before Hakimi saw a wonderful strike from distance ruled out, again for offside in the build-up.

But PSG's wait to break the deadlock ended shortly after, Hugo Ekitike nodding across for Fabian to stab home from close-range.

Messi added a second with 18 minutes to play as he coolly dinked into the bottom corner from Fabian's perfectly weighted throughball, though Nordin caused some anxiety for the visitors by finding the bottom corner in the 89th minute.

Substitute Zaire Emery ended any hopes of a Montpellier comeback though by blasting home a third in the dying seconds.

Christophe Galtier rubbished suggestions he must lose Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi or Neymar to balance his Paris Saint-Germain side.

The forward trio, arguably the most talented frontline in European football, have been at the forefront of the Ligue 1 giants' latest title charge this term.

But since the World Cup, where Argentina captain Messi defeated France forward Mbappe in the final, the team have won only two of five top-flight games.

Critics claim the team is too top-heavy, but ahead of Wednesday's match with Montpellier, Galtier scoffed at such ideas.

"We have three incredibly strong attacking players," he said. "Are you saying that we have to lose one of these three players to be balanced? That would be a mistake.

"[Our level] is insufficient though, in terms of points per game. We must quickly find a higher level of play, and above all score points.

"It happens in any season, that there is a bad period. We have a busy month ahead of us. January was not good, but now we are all working to remedy it."

Galtier further acknowledged star men Mbappe and Messi underperformed in the 1-1 draw with Reims, but he stressed the blame lies with the collective rather than the duo.

"Kylian and Leo didn't achieve what they usually achieve on an attacking level, but it is not a question of their state of mind," he added.

"With our organisation and our balance, we must find something else. We are working on it. Whatever the system, everyone has to give more on the pitch."

Lionel Messi wishes Diego Maradona had been able to hand him the World Cup trophy last month, but he has no regrets over the time it took him to lead Argentina to football's greatest prize.

Messi inspired Argentina to their fourth World Cup in Qatar last year, winning the Golden Ball award after scoring seven goals at the tournament – including two in the final against France.

The Albiceleste's triumph was their first in the competition since Maradona – who died in 2020 – produced his own series of talismanic displays to lead them to glory at Mexico 1986.

During an interview in Paris with Andy Kusnetzoff, Messi said he regretted the fact Maradona – who coached him at the 2010 World Cup – was not alive to witness his crowning moment.

"I would have liked Diego to give me the cup, or at least to see all this, to see Argentina as world champions, with everything he wanted and how he loved the national team," Messi said.

"I think from above, he – like a lot of people who love me – were strong."

While Messi had to wait until his fifth and likely final World Cup to lift the trophy, the legendary attacker says his triumph could not have come at a better time. 

"I think if I had to choose the moment, it would have been this one," Messi said. "It's at the end of my career, closing a cycle.

"I achieved everything with the national team as I always dreamed. I got everything in my career, individually. It was about closing my career in a unique way.

"I never imagined that all this was going to happen to me when I started, and getting to this moment was the best. I have no complaints and I can't ask for more.

"We won the Copa America [in 2021] and the World Cup, there's nothing left."

As well as producing several outstanding performances, Messi made headlines for taking on a more vocal role as Argentina's leader in Qatar. 

The Paris Saint-Germain star memorably celebrated a quarter-final goal against the Netherlands in front of Louis van Gaal before describing him as "disrespectful" in a post-match interview, while he also called striker Wout Weghorst a "fool" after the same game.

Messi admits he is not proud of some of his behaviour at the tournament, adding: "I knew what Van Gaal had said but it [the celebration] happened on the spur of the moment.

"I didn't like what I did, I didn't like what happened after. These are moments of nervousness and everything happens very quickly."

Erling Haaland needs support from his Manchester City team-mates to deliver the Premier League title, says Sergio Aguero, who believes only Lionel Messi can carry a side to major honours on his own.

Haaland reached 25 goals for the Premier League season with a hat-trick as City thrashed Wolves 3-0 in their most recent outing in the competition.

The Norwegian's fourth Premier League treble took him beyond the tally of 23 goals managed by last term's joint Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min with 18 games of the campaign remaining. 

Despite Haaland's exploits, Pep Guardiola's side trail league leaders Arsenal by five points having played an additional game, and City great Aguero says the striker cannot do it alone.

Asked whether Haaland can inspire City to a fifth league title in six seasons, Aguero told Stake.com: "We'll have to see that yet.

"There's still plenty of the season to go. Haaland, who has been racking up numbers that will break historical records, will play a major part in it. 

"In any case, except Leo, there's no one player who can win a league on their own. 

"It's about the team, and City have got a very talented roster and exceptional staff. They've given plenty of evidence of their great stature, and you know they'll fight until the very end."

While City have struggled to keep pace with Arsenal so far this season, five-time Premier League winner Aguero remains confident Guardiola's men can overturn the Gunners' lead.

"I wouldn't say that Man City aren't clicking. The Premier League is the most competitive league there is," he continued. 

"It's perfectly normal to see the top contenders get reinforcements and go back to their historical standards. 

"City have won four out of the last five Premier Leagues. They're still in the fight, and that needs to be recognised. [They are] prowling from the second position, ready to strike. Anything can happen."

City will travel to Arsenal for the duo's first league meeting of the season on February 15, after facing Tottenham and Aston Villa in their next two fixtures.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Kylian Mbappe should be confident of winning another World Cup but does not expect Argentina to do likewise after their disrespectful title celebrations.

Mbappe's France lost on penalties to Argentina in December's Qatar 2022 final despite their talisman scoring a hat-trick.

Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Lionel Messi instead added the final major medal he was waiting for to his collection.

Despite Mbappe matching Messi almost stride for stride, he was the subject of taunts from the Argentina players both immediately after the game and in their celebrations back home.

PSG great Ibrahimovic criticised the Albiceleste's lack of class and suggested it was "a sign" they will not repeat their win.

"I said Argentina will for sure win the World Cup, because if you want to remember the Qatar World Cup for the rest of history, who needs to win? Messi," he told France Inter.

"Messi is considered the best player in history. If you want to remember the Qatar World Cup, Messi needs to win. I was 100 per cent sure he would win.

"But I felt sorry for Mbappe, because if you score three goals in a final and don't win the World Cup, that is very sad.

"What will happen? He will win another World Cup, and he already won one, so I'm not worried about Mbappe. I'm worried about the other players in Argentina, because they will not win anything more.

"Messi has won everything and he will be remembered, but the rest, who behaved badly, that you cannot respect. That's coming from me as a professional football player at a high level.

"That is a sign you will win one time and you will not win any more. Mbappe will win again."