Manchester City, to quote Chris Hughton, "don't do distractions".

So Hughton does not expect the team he thinks are playing the best football ever seen in the Premier League to go easy on his Albion side.

Even though they have arguably a more important match only 72 hours after today's clash at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola's side are in Hoffenheim on Tuesday in their second group game in the Champions League.

Qualification has been unexpectedly jeopardised by a shock 2-1 home defeat by Lyon in their opening fixture.

Hughton told The Argus: "I am hoping for any distraction that we can (have) but I don't think they do distractions.

"Even when Pep was at Barcelona he would have teams playing Saturday, midweek, and sometimes wouldn't change so much.

"He is used to players playing a lot of games and when you look at the team they put out midweek, all due respects to Oxford, they didn't have to go that strong.

"The way they work and the manager works it is very much focusing on the next game, so I don't think it will have an effect."

City's stylish 3-0 stroll in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at Oxford, after thumping Cardiff 5-0 in the league, was indicative of the panache regularly on display from Guardiola's runaway champions last season.

Asked if they play the best football ever in the Premier League, Hughton said: "For me personally, yes. But it is about eras.

"And Manchester United teams played a different way but were massively successful, exciting. It's a difficult one to tie them down to the best, but of course they are right up there.

"And with a way of playing. I think probably tactically the best because they can change a game and, when you see now a tactic from a goalkeeper that can play the way the goalkeeper does and incorporate that into a way of playing, then yes, it's a little bit special.

"The more you watch Man City, they have individuals who can produce moments and also from set-plays but there is no coincidence about the goals they score.

"They have a way of playing, they work very hard on the training ground and particular movements.

"The way that his full-backs play, we haven't seen much at this level, with the movement of their full-backs coming infield.

"So as a team at the moment, they are very special."

The Argus: With a special spearhead. Hughton also regards Sergio Aguero (above) high on the list of top overseas players to have graced the Premier League.

"Again, it's very difficult to say the best, but he is very close to the best," Hughton said.

"This is not a player who has done it over a couple of seasons which you might see. He has been brilliant now probably over six or more years.

"Even though you are at one of the best clubs and a club that is always going to be in that top four, it takes something to be as consistent as he is. If he is not the best then he is very close to it."

All of which makes the scale of the task a daunting one for Albion, particularly as Hughton feels retaining the title would still mean more to City than a Champions League breakthrough.

He said: "I still don't think Champions League is a priority, I think their priority will be winning the league, but there's no doubt because of their participation in the Champions League and where they have got to, they will want to win it as quick as possible."