Pep Guardiola has made the extraordinary suggestion that Manchester City could suffer a stunning Premier League title collapse.

Manchester: Pep Guardiola has made the extraordinary suggestion that Manchester City could suffer a stunning Premier League title collapse.

"Of course it can happen, I assure you," said Guardiola.

Guardiola is concerned about the psychological effect that three defeats in a week might have on his players as they look to secure the trophy.

City are 13 points clear at the top with six matches to play and could be confirmed as champions this weekend.

They will take the title with a win over Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday and a defeat for second placed Manchester United against bottom club West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

However, Guardiola's side are seeking to recover from a dispiriting runof results, having gone out of the Champions League after losing home and away against Liverpool in the quarter-finals, as well as missing the opportunity to clinch the title against United last weekend.

City were two up in the Manchester derby before Paul Pogba inspired a United comeback, scoring twice in the second half of their 3-2 win.

Guardiola cited two examples of high-profile sporting collapses when examining his own team's prospects – Real Madrid's miserable finish to the 2003-04 La Liga season, and Golden State Warriors' failure to win basketball's NBA finals in 2016.

The Warriors lost 4-3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers despite leading 3-1 with three matches to play, while Madrid managed to finish fourth in La Liga 14 years ago, having held an eight-point lead at the top