Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand expects Manchester City to retain their Premier League title this season.

When being interviewed on The Obi One Podcast, Ferdinand was asked whether Pep Guardiola’s side would finish top of the table and he replied:

“Yes, comfortably.”

The Cityzens are currently in 2nd place; level on points with Arsenal and Aston Villa, but five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool. However, they do have a game in hand over the Reds.

The bookies agree with Ferdinand

The TNT Sports pundit is not the only one who believes that City will win their fourth consecutive title. Bookmakers currently have Guardiola’s men as odds-on to end the season in first place.

It must be said, though, that Liverpool’s odds have shortened in recent weeks, having leapfrogged above Arsenal to become second favourites. Sky Bet even have them at 15/8.

City always come on strong in the second half of the season

While Liverpool have the advantage at the moment, the reigning champions are notorious for finishing the season strongly.

In four of the last 5 campaigns, they have accrued more points in the second half of the season, going on long winning streaks and unbeaten runs which have invariably led to their title rivals buckling under the pressure.

Of course, it is not always wise to use past precedents to predict the future. City have sold and replaced important players in recent years so personnel changes can affect how things play out.

The one constant in all of it, though, is Guardiola. The manager has suffered brief spells of poor form during his time at the Etihad but he has always found solutions to any problems the team have faced.

With City having put in some improved performances recently and the fact that they only trail the league leaders by such a small margin, there is every chance that they could win the league “comfortably” as Ferdinand suggests.