Man City boss Pep Guardiola issues Champions League challenge ahead of Real Madrid clash.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists his side should have ample desire to win the Champions League regardless of what happens with their two-year UEFA ban.
26/02/2020
Champions League – Play Offs
Lyon vs Juventus – Over 1.5 Goals
Real Madrid vs Manchester City – Over 2.5 GoalsTotal Odd: 2.51
Guardiola has rubbished suggestions Manchester City need to use a possible Champions League ban as added motivation when they face Real Madrid. The City boss claimed the possibility of a two-year ban from UEFA’s elite competition will not be in their minds as they face a side he dubbed “the Kings of Europe”.
And he insisted that he remained confident that this season’s competition was not the last shot at glory for this group of City players.
But Guardiola also declared that his players should have more than enough desire to win this competition – that the club have never won – regardless of what happens with their ban.
He said: “There is no special motivation, even if it’s the last one (time), the desire has to be there, without that it’s impossible. More than that it’s another game – that’s all.
“This group of players will have a lot of chances, I know we play the king, I know the challenge we face but in the same time it’s not the last one.
“Unless you die and there’s no more chances you know there’ll be another opportunity. We play two games in the first one we try to be ourselves and do a good game.”
It has been impossible to escape the long shadow of a possible ban despite the grand nature of the occasion and predictably there were plenty of questions for Guardiola about possible knock on effects yesterday.
City have stated they intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne and Guardiola once again expressed his confidence they will be exonerated.
“We have the right to appeal, I trust with the people in my club, they explain the reasons, they showed me the arguments and the proofs,” the Catalan continued.
“We are optimistic that finally if we deserve to be in the Champions League we can do it next season, if finally it doesn’t happen we have to accept and move forward.
“But are going to see what happens with CAS.”
26/02/2020
Champions League – Play Offs
Lyon vs Juventus – Over 1.5 Goals
Real Madrid vs Manchester City – Over 2.5 GoalsTotal Odd: 2.51
What happens on the pitch on Wednesday night is a little more pressing against a team Guardiola has insisted he could never manage given his ties to Barcelona.
