That goal machine Erling Haaland is feeling fitter and stronger in his bid to get even better. And if this doesn't send a shiver down the spines of Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Wednesday night's Champions League opponents Inter Milan, then nothing else will.
Haaland's bilstering start to the new season has seen him score a record nine goals in his first four Premier League games. His overall tally since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 stands at an incredible 99 in 103 games.
And Haaland needs one more goal to break Cristiano Ronaldo's European record of becoming the fastest player to score 100 goals for his club. The statistics are mind-blowing, even to someone like Guardiola.
Not least because, like Guardiola pointed out with a smile on his face, he scored just 11 goals in his entire playing career.
He said: "His numbers are surprising, a little bit, yeah. Do you know why? I played 11 years as a professional and I scored 11 goals. This guy, in for games, has nine. If you examine the next 100 games and he scores 99 goals, for me, it's fine! Don't improve. I will be more than delighted.
"The difference to last season is he feels better. He came from Dortmund with a lot of muscular problems. He struggled a bit. So far (this season) he feels 'I'm clean, I feel good here and have no problems'.
"I don't expect him every game to score three, two goals. It is not a problem, because I know the quality is there, but I think the difference from last season is he feels good."
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be hoping for a similar result against Inter
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be hoping for a similar result against Inter (Image: Getty Images)
Guardiola sat down with his squad to watch a re-run of City's Champions League final victory over Inter in Istanbul in 2023. It was the first time the Spaniard had watched a replay of the historic game, when Rodri scored a second half winner to seal City's first ever Champions League title.
Guardiola reckons the Italian champions remain just a strong now, and will present a huge challenge to his team in their opening clash of the competition.
He said: "It was a good team in that moment - and it's a really good team right now. They always have been. The Serie A is a tough, tough league, so competitive, and this game will not be an exception."
And despite taking a trip down memory lane with his stars, Guardiola reckons that famous win in Turkey has no bearing on Wednesday night's game.
He added: "About inspiration, about emotion, I'm so cold on that. It's the first game in a group stage of eight games. Tactically, we have to be present in what we have to do."
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