Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, spoke at the press conference before the match against Plymouth Argyle in the Round of 16 of the FA Cup, praising his opponent after they eliminated Liverpool.

Guardiola said: "Plymouth is not an unknown team; if they managed to defeat Liverpool, one of the best teams in England this season, then they deserve respect."

Merron Muslic, the Plymouth coach, praised Guardiola, describing the encounter as a great honor, to which the Spanish coach replied: "I will gift him a wonderful bottle of wine; I thank him for his words, and I look forward to meeting him tomorrow."

When asked about the statements of Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, regarding imposing sanctions on Manchester City, Guardiola simply responded: "Next question."

Guardiola revealed updates on Oscar Bob's condition, saying: "He is improving; he trained yesterday and today, but he has been out longer than we expected, and we hope he can help us at the end of the season."

Guardiola expressed his admiration for his young defender Vitor Reis, stating: "He is a player with amazing focus; he did not come to stay for a short time but to be part of a long-term project."

Guardiola assured City fans about the future of many key players, explaining: "There are players in their thirties who will be part of the club's future, except for De Bruyne, who will decide his future himself."

He added: "I rely on Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, and a group of players who have contracts with the club."

Regarding Haaland's readiness, the Spanish coach confirmed: "Haaland is in good shape."

Guardiola spoke about the new arrival Claudio Echeverri: "He arrived yesterday; he has great skills, and we will help him adapt, but I don't know when he will be ready to participate."

Guardiola warned of the fierce competition in the Premier League, saying: "We are currently in fourth place, but if we stumble, we could find ourselves in sixth or seventh place; every match has become a final."

He concluded his remarks: "We must maintain focus and prepare well, as what the team and the club need now is absolute priority."