Manchester City vs. Liverpool: Pep Guardiola's Key Pre-Match Presser Quotes

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said there is significant scope for improvement in his squad after the Sky Blues were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Monaco on Wednesday.

The Spaniard stated he was "very happy" overall with his side's performance over both legs against the Ligue 1 outfit, as his team were ousted on away goals after a 6-6 draw on aggregate.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Premier League game with Liverpool, Guardiola said City need to find more stability if they are to excel, per the club's Twitter account:

He also rubbished reports that he will undertake a huge squad clear-out in the summer.

Reports emerged after the Monaco defeat that as many as 18 players could be at risk of being ousted from the squad come the end of the season, per The Guardian's Jamie Jackson.

However, Guardiola said that would be impossible, but he did reveal there are plans in place to make improvements, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone:

City returning to the Champions League next season is far from guaranteed. 

Should the Manchester outfit lose to Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium, they will drop down into fourth place in the Premier League.

And Arsenal and Manchester United are close behind in fifth and sixth, respectively, with games in hand.

Guardiola said he feels the race for the top four will go down to the wire, per Stone:

City can take a big step towards a top-four finish, though, if they beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, but they will again be without captain Vincent Kompany, per ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:

The reverse fixture at Anfield earlier in the season ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat for Guardiola's side. 

A repeat of that result could be disastrous for City, but Liverpool will also be desperate not to lose to keep their Champions League hopes alive, so it should be a tense and tight affair.