City are eyeing a third consecutive Premier League crown under Guardiola, however, the defending champions are third and 14 points adrift of unbeaten rivals Liverpool – who have a game in hand – after 20 matches. Amid doubts over Guardiola’s long-term future in Manchester, former Barcelona star Xavi believes the Spaniard will prioritise the Champions League ahead of a blockbuster last-16 showdown against Real Madrid. “Pep is a born winner,” Al Sadd head coach Xavi, who played under Guardiola at Camp Nou, told The Mirror. “It will hurt him that Manchester City are so far behind Liverpool in the league – and he won’t give up. Tonight’s sunset was pretty decent ?#ManCity pic.twitter.com/osJhbpq8Lv — Manchester City (@ManCity) 30 December 2019 “He will be realistic though. The gap is a big one and at the moment it doesn’t look likely that they can make it three titles in a row. “With that in mind, I think there’s a big chance Pep will prioritise the Champions League. “They will be two big games coming up against Real Madrid – and maybe there will be a chance to rest players before these games that they wouldn’t have if they were in a title…