Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola believes the team can’t focus on the past as they chase down their first Champions League title. City appears to have a third consecutive year in the semi-finals after defeating Bayern Munich 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final encounter last week. They will be expected to finish the job against the Germans in the rematch on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena. After years of near-misses, including heartbreaking defeats against Tottenham, Lyon, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, their challenge will be to take the next steps necessary to eventually win the trophy for the first time.
“It would be a huge error for us to focus solely on the outcome, what you need to do, or what we’ve done in the past. We must play our game. That’s how we’ve been talking the previous several days,” Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola said. “We’re focused on what we want to accomplish, not just control the game but punish it, score goals, understand the game, and not simply the fact that we’re playing in Munich against one of the most prestigious, storied clubs in the tournament. I don’t understand why you’d come here to defend something. We’ve come to play football, 11 men versus 11. In this game, we aim to outperform our opponents.”
The reigning Premier League champions dominated the opening leg, but Guardiola, who led Bayern Munich for three years before taking over at City in 2016, expects his former club to fight back.
“I’ve been here before, and I’m familiar with the club’s mentality; it’s all over the place. It’s beneath the skin. I know they feel they can succeed,” he added. “When you’re in these types of groups, we’re trying to instill the notion that whatever occurs, we can handle it. They have a history of doing so, and we are improving. Without a doubt, we will (have to) defend. In Manchester, they were better for a portion of the game, and we had to defend. We’ll be defending tomorrow. But it is an opportunity for us. We can’t play a game if we’re thinking about history. The greatest option is to try to win the game.”
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel admits his team will need a miracle to advance.
“We require a marvel, a miracle. I’m not sure if talking about 4-0 or 5-1 wins is appropriate – you have to be realistic – but we believe in ourselves. It’s the second limb. We can make it happen in the second half if we perform well in the first. Anything is conceivable,” Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel said. “It’s a massive mountain to climb, which is why we need to believe in ourselves, but we don’t want to be daydreamers. For me, dreaming is constantly near to sleeping, and you cannot sleep for a single second. We must believe, and believing implies that we have the power to make things happen. We must make it happen via teamwork, performance, and energy. We are not alone; we can battle as a team, and we have viewers who will fight alongside us.”
Tuchel does not believe the altercation involving Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane following the first game would help his team. Last week, City delivered one of their best European performances, confirming their standing as Champions League favorites. Bayern, the six-time European champions, went into the game with high expectations, but their defeat resulted in recriminations and a dressing room brawl between teammates Mane and Sane.
According to reports, Sane was hit in the mouth by Mane, and the Bundesliga club suspended the former Liverpool forward for the weekend. Guardiola, the manager of City, said that the event may galvanize and drive the Bayern squad for the second game, but Tuchel dismissed this idea.
“I hoped we’d use it against Hoffenheim, but we didn’t,” he added. “The case is now closed because the subject died. I don’t believe this will give us a significant boost.”
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