Pep Guardiola acknowledges that his tenure at the club is not permanent but has no regrets about accepting a new deal.

Pep Guardiola has pledged to stop Manchester City's downward spiral and stated that he has no regrets about extending his contract, although he acknowledges that anyone can be fired.

As Ruben Amorim seeks a decisive outcome in his first taste of the all-Manchester match, all eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After Sporting's incredible 4-1 Champions League victory in his penultimate game before joining United, the Portuguese has already orchestrated a victory versus City in the past six weeks.

Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes dismissed the idea that now is a good moment to play them, despite the fact that it is one of seven losses Guardiola's struggling team has sustained in a 10-game stretch that has seen just one victory.

"[The owners] know when the situation is bad and we start to lose games, then it is not sustainable," Guardiola stated in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. In that case, I wouldn't be here in the upcoming month or two months.

"This is the reality, as determined by the results. We can't lose games forever. People may believe that I wouldn't be fired because of our prior actions, but as managers, we are evaluated on a daily basis.
 
"You may be out for one poor season. The club is aware that I won't [resign]. It would have to be done by the club. I'd like to be near the players. I'd like to be by their side. We have lost more games than we have in the last two seasons.

"Even though something is going wrong, I'm prioritising myself and considering how I might improve. We have four youth players in Turin [Wednesday's 2-0 loss to Juventus] so we can see the truth.

"It has been like that for the past month, and it will be the same in the upcoming game. You can make it through a few games, but we've been doing it with players that have a lot of remaining minutes for more than a month.

It's due of the calendar and the timetable, not because they don't want it. Next summer, we will travel to Orlando to play in the Club World Cup. Three weeks later, we must begin the Premier League. It isn't feasible.

Are football players no longer able to make it?

"Of course," Guardiola continued. However, the show must and will continue. Another player will enter while Rodri is not playing. I defend my business the way the Premier League defends theirs. My players are my business. My players are the reason I succeed, and I want to keep them safe.

"These players have done something no other team in this country has done and these players would have done it again were it not for the schedule."

Guardiola recently pledged to stay at City for at least another two seasons, although this came at the same time as his team was struggling. The Catalan acknowledges that he could be fired, but he has no regrets about signing the contract until the summer of 2027.

"Absolutely not," Guardiola declared during his Friday press conference. "I'll be sorry if I go now. My sleep would be worse than it is today. I couldn't possibly abandon the current state of affairs.

"They can fire me. That is possible if we keep doing this, but there is no chance if we leave now. If Khaldoon [Al Mubarak], my boss, is not pleased with me, they can fire me, but there is no chance if I quit now.

"I'll depart when I think it's time to do so. I wouldn't say that I have any goals to fundamentally change who I am, my life, my journey, or my time here. Not possible.

"I've been the best, whether I depart tomorrow or shortly after. There is nothing in this club that I will ever forget. No, I'm not holding out for another Premier League or Champions League victory."

Guardiola's will is obviously still blazing strong.

Given City's sharp downturn, would bringing them back to their peak and winning another Premier League title be Guardiola's greatest accomplishment?

Guardiola continued, "The greatest achievement has already been done," alluding to his season in which he won three trophies. "With the players we have, we are not the best; otherwise, Liverpool will be close.

"However, we now understand how challenging it was, and we'll be... wow when we return.

"But if I'm losing one month more and losing at the end, I will say, 'guys, take on someone else to fix these kinds of things because it cannot be eternal'."

Fernandes calls on United to forget Man City's issues.

Bruno Fernandes believes that instead of dwelling on City's dismal recent performance, United should concentrate on resolving their own issues before the derby.

"It doesn't change anything for us, how they are in this moment, because we have to think about ourselves," the captain of United stated.

We are all aware of how popular this game is and how many players it has. It's likely that they aren't winning as much as everyone would anticipate.

"But we have to focus on ourselves because we're not being at the level we want to be, so we can't think about the momentum of the others.

"We just have to think about ourselves and do the job we have to do to get in better positions, and we need points in the league so it doesn't matter who we play against.

"We know it's City, a huge derby. We know what it means for the fans and it means a lot for us too, so we just have to go to the game and win without thinking who we have ahead."