Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City defeated Real Madrid home and away in the last 16 to reach quarters.© AFP
Pep Guardiola warned Manchester City that the straight knockout format of the Champions League final stages in Lisbon means being favourites counts for little ahead of their quarter-final clash with Lyon on Saturday. City can reach the last four for just the second time in the club’s history and the first since Guardiola arrived in Manchester four years ago with victory over the French side, who finished seventh in the curtailed 2019/20 Ligue 1 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Lyon knocked out Juventus on away goals to make the last eight and after suffering plenty of Champions League heartbreak with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City since he last lifted the trophy as Barca boss in 2011, Guardiola is wary of his side’s tag as competition favourites.
“There is no second chance, it is back in Manchester or stay here four more days. The approach is completely different,” said Guardiola at facing a one match shootout rather than the normal two-legged tie at this stage of the competition.
City beat 13-time winners Real Madrid home and away in the last 16 to record their first ever knockout win over a former winner in the Champions League.
Another will await in one of Guardiola’s former clubs, Barca or Bayern, in the semi-finals should City progress, but the Catalan believes his side are now mentally ready to handle the pressures of the Champions League later stages.
“Of course it was so important to beat the kings of the competition (Madrid), but when you play this competition in just one game anything can happen,” added Guardiola.
Promoted
“These games the mentality, the spirit, the head leads all the other things and I feel the players are ready to do it.”
Guardiola confirmed that Sergio Aguero remains in Barcelona recovering from a knee operation so will not feature on Saturday and is highly doubtful to return even if City make it all the way to the final on August 23.
Topics mentioned in this article
