Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson says it will be tough for the club to beat their record-breaking 2017/18 season this time around.
City have matched their results from the first five league games of last season - with four wins and a draw.
A surprise 2-1 loss to Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday night has not deterred the Brazilian goalkeeper's belief in their prospects.
He said: "We have the capacity to overcome this situation, obviously we would have preferred to start the Champions League with a win but it's about keeping our heads up, focus on the next game and display the football we have been playing all along.
"It's a defeat but it's part of football. For us, it's about keeping our heads up and looking to the future.
"We are aware it's going to be difficult, last season we had almost the perfect season, reached our targets, and breaking records and winning is going to be really tough.
"How difficult it has been to retain the title for teams shows how competitive this division is and how difficult it is to win, but I think if we can keep the same style, ethic and way of working we will have chances to win the league."
Ederson retains his belief in City's title chances partly because of manager Guardiola, who won 21 trophies across eight years with Barcelona and Bayern Munich before joining City in 2016.
He said: "I think our manager is a really ambitious manager, he wants to win and play well and that's the message he passes onto us.
"It's the message I've heard since the beginning, since I arrived, this winning mentality. We absorb it well; obviously we are not going to win and beat records all the time, but if we keep working hard we can get far."