Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario has backed Manchester City to retain their Premier League crown.

When asked by the Daily Mail which team out of the Cityzens, Arsenal and Liverpool will finish top of the table, the World Cup winner simply replied:

“City”.

The Brazilian’s prediction is not that surprising when you consider the fact that he is a former teammate of Pep Guardiola. They spent a year together at Barcelona between 1996 and 1997.

Guardiola has huge admiration for Ronaldo

Speaking last year, the City head coach commented on his time playing alongside the striker. He said he was very disappointed that Ronaldo left for Inter Milan just a season after arriving at the Camp Nou:

“Ronaldo Nazario. Phew… How sad I was when he left for Inter, how sad… What a player and what a guy!”

City have a battle on their hands to secure another title

The draw against Liverpool at the weekend means that Guardiola’s team remain one point behind the Reds. However, Arsenal’s victory against Brentford means that the Gunners have leapfrogged both teams in the table. They currently lead the way on goal difference.

It’s a massive few weeks for City. After the game at Anfield, they have an FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle before hosting Arsenal at the Etihad when club football returns after the international break. Things don’t get any easier after that either as they will take on fourth-place Aston Villa just four days later.

Having won 5 of the last 6 Premier League titles, though, the Cityzens undoubtedly have experience on their side. They have shown multiple times in the past that they can cope with the pressure, putting together a string of impressive victories to clinch top spot. Having two rivals instead of one will, of course, make this different to previous title races but they remain favourites to finish in first place.