'It's a very bad situation!' - Enzo Maresca piles in on former club Man City but expects Pep Guardiola's side to fight Chelsea for this season's title

City have managed just four points from their last eight Premier League matches amid a sensational drop in form for the reigning English champions - even bottom side Southampton have managed more points (five) in that timeframe. In that run, they have also been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham and lost two and drawn one in the Champions League.

City's plummet has caught the football world by surprise, with Guardiola blaming injuries for his team's struggles. Although they are seventh in the table and already 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, Maresca has refused to rule them out of the title race just yet.

The Italian, who spent a year coaching at City's academy and won the Premier League 2 before a stint as Guardiola's assistant, has lifted Chelsea to second place in the league and many view them as Liverpool's main rivals to the title, but he insists the Cityzens are still in with a chance.

"I think Man City at the end will be there. They are in a moment that never happened before. Every time they play a game, they have some injuries. They don't have enough players in this moment," he told reporters. "The ones they have are probably not 100 percent because they just come back from injury. It's a very bad situation but I think it is for everyone when something like this happens."

City will hope to end their three-game losing streak when they come up against Everton on December 26. Chelsea will face Fulham the same day.