Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: Why we can beat Barcelona

PEP GUARDIOLA has ordered perfection from Manchester City against Barcelona in the Champions League tomorrow night.

By Jeremy Cross, Chief Sports Writer        

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola go up against Barcelona in the Champions League tomorrow

City go head-to-head with European giants Barcelona in a crucial Group C showdown at the Etihad.

The game comes two weeks after Barca dished out a 4-0 hammering in the Nou Camp that left Guardiola humiliated.

Lionel Messi ripped City apart to score a hat-trick before Neymar added a fourth to complete what was the joint worst defeat of Guardiola’s managerial career.

He knows Barca will be strong favourites to win again tonight - and admits his side will have to be flawless to stand a chance of getting the three points needed to keep alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Guardiola, who will be without suspended goalkeeper Claudio Bravo but it set to start with Sergio Aguero, said: “I have never thought we could not win. I have never entered a match thinking we can’t win.

“We have to play almost perfectly to win, but if not then we congratulate them and set our minds on the games against Celtic and in Monchengladbach in a few weeks time.”

A defeat for Manchester City and win for Monchengladbach over Brendan Rodgers’ outfit would leave Guardiola’s chances of making the knockout stages hanging by a thread.

He knows the importance of tomorrow's clash and admits City have to treat it like a cup final and be ruthless when the chances come along.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says his side can beat Barcelona in the Champions League

The Spaniard added: “We know what we have to do to beat them. They know us, but hopefully our quality upfront will make a difference.

“We have to play in that way, like a final. It’s not a final for them, it is a final for us.

“There are just three games left, we dropped two points in Glasgow, we were penalised then, so we have to recover those points in next two games.

“I would like to play many things like we did in first hour in Barcelona.

 
Pep Guardiola will need Man City star Sergio Aguero firing against Barcelona tomorrow night

“I would like to play in a good level, 90 minutes would be perfect. But what happened in Barcelona, that’s not the reason why it’s going to happen tomorrow.

“We have to be focused for 90 minutes, knowing they are going to provoke our mistakes because of the quality they have.

“Barcelona provoke your mistakes. But we had a few chances and have to keep going in that sense and try to finish better than we did in Barcelona.”

MANCHESTER CITY: (4-1-4-1): Cabellero; Stones, Kompany, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernandinho; Sterling, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Silva; Aguero.

BARCELONA: (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Roberto, Mascherano, Umtiti, Digne; Rakitic, Busquets, Rafinha; Suarez, Messi, Neymar.

REF: Viktor Kassai (Hungary).

TV: 7.45pm
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