Pep Guardiola has emphasized that Manchester City will be facing “11 players, not the history” of Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash on Wednesday.
Despite City holding a three-goal advantage from the first leg, Guardiola believes that Bayern, who have won the trophy six times, will still pose a threat on home soil.
He stated, “We don’t play against what they achieved, but having something like that is something special.”
Guardiola, who managed Bayern for three years before leading City to four Premier League titles, wants his side to punish Bayern further after their outstanding first-leg performance in Manchester.
He said, “We must focus on what we have to do to control the game, punish them, come here to win the game in Munich against one of the most historic teams in the competition.”
However, Guardiola also acknowledges that City is growing in their Champions League pedigree and is confident in his players’ desire to succeed.
He stated, “After many years, winning Premier Leagues and getting to finals and semi-finals we are reaching a level that is quite interesting for us. I don’t have any doubts the players want it, the desire, they want it of course.”
Furthermore, Guardiola believes that City can play their style of football without the need to defend, stating, “We don’t have to defend the game – we can play. We can be here to play one football game, 11 men against 11 men, try to do better than the opponent in this specific game. We have to do our game.”
City’s chances of success are boosted by the return of midfielder Phil Foden, who rejoined the squad after being sidelined since having his appendix removed last month.