(Reuters) - Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Guendogan believes the club's 11-point lead in the Premier League before the halfway stage will make rival teams more determined to beat them as they approach a busy festive period.
City are unbeaten in the league with 46 points after 15 wins and one draw and are on an English top-flight record 14-game winning streak after ending Manchester United's run of 40 home games without loss in all competitions with a 2-1 win on Sunday.
City could extend that record when they face bottom side Swansea City on Wednesday but Guendogan warned his team mates that they cannot afford to take things lightly despite the distance between them and the chasing pack.
"It's the fact that we feel every single game now is going to be tougher and tougher for everyone when it feels like our opponents have even more will to beat us," the Germany international said on the club's website (www.mancity.com).
"It's going to be very challenging of course but we're having good moments so our confidence is rising. We have the quality but... there's still a long, long way to go until we can put our hands on the trophy.
"We haven't won anything yet. We are not even halfway through the season. There are a lot more games to play and a lot more points to earn."
Swansea, who are bottom with 12 points, ended a seven-game run without a victory when they beat visiting fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion in their last game on Saturday.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)
