Pep Guardiola has aimed a subtle dig at Manchester United ahead of their derby date in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, insisting that Manchester City have a superior record to their rivals in recent years.
City are due to arrive at Old Trafford for their first leg of the semi-final tie against the Red Devils as they bid to defend the trophy they won last term.
The reigning Premier League champions beat Chelsea in the final back in February, but United will be buoyed for the encounter after earning a win at Etihad Stadium last month.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side produced their best performance of the 2019-20 campaign to date during a 2-1 over City on December 7, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial grabbing the goals for the visitors.
United have not been able to build on that result though, picking up just four wins from their last eight across all competitions.
City, meanwhile, have bounced back from the disappointment of that home defeat to win seven out of eight, and Guardiola certainly does not believe that a power shift has taken place in Manchester.
He told a press conference on Monday: "When you play games for many years sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
"Against United, a top club, you can win and lose games. I didn’t come here and expect to beat Man United all the time.
"We’ve beaten them more than we lose in the regular season. That is important."
Guardiola did, however, reserve praise for Solskjaer, who has faced plenty of criticism for United's inconsistency this season.
The City boss acknowledges the size of the task the Norwegian has taken on at Old Trafford, but believes his ideas are finally beginning to translate onto the pitch.
"I have the feeling that they're starting to play the way he wants," Guardiola said. "Even the last game against Arsenal we saw clearly what he wants.
"It's not easy to take over a big big club that's always demanding to be involved in the competition."
When asked to reveal what he learned from the last derby meeting with United, Guardiola responded: "How fast they are. How solid and aggressive. We conceded a few counterattacks and in just a few seconds they were in the box."