As the English champions strive to finally translate their domestic dominance into European triumph, the manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, has bragged that his legacy as Manchester City manager is already “exceptional.”
Guardiola said this at his pre-game press conference on Tuesday.
He said, “My legacy, our legacy is exceptional already. We are not stupid (not) to know how important is tomorrow’s game. It’s one of the most important since we are together here.
“We cannot deny that, for the competition, for the rival, for many things. I said to the players: ‘Live it like a huge opportunity, enjoy the moment’.
“How fortunate we are. We are incredibly lucky to be here. It’s in our hands, it depends on us, we don’t have to do something exceptional, just be ourselves and win one game to reach a final.”
Recall that the contest was evenly poised at 1-1 going into Wednesday’s second leg of City’s Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid.
When the two teams met in the semi-final of the previous season, City’s hopes were dashed by a spectacular late Madrid comeback.
Guardiola’s team, however, has a significant home advantage this time around and a stellar track record at the Etihad.
City has won all 14 of its home games in the 2023 Champions League, going five years without a home loss in the competition.
Speaking further, Guardiola, who twice won the competition as Barcelona coach, said, “It’s a dream come true to be here. We arrive really good for the fact we are in the FA Cup final, one game away to win the Premier League and semi-final of the Champions League, but at the same time we have to play much better than the Madrid (away) game.”
