Guardiola: I’m not scared of old rivals Real

BY DAVID MCDONNELL

PEP GUARDIOLA has told Real Madrid that they do not scare him ahead of tonight’s Champions League showdown.

Holders City will be looking to knock the 14-time winners out of the competition at the Etihad – just as they did last season.

The two sides played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Bernabeu last week, with a semi-final place awaiting the team that comes out on top in the return leg.

Former Barcelona player and coach Guardiola admitted facing their bitter rivals Real has always been one of the biggest challenges of his glittering career.

But Guardiola said he will never be frightened of facing them and is relishing the chance to take them down – just as City did last season with a thumping

4-0 win.

“No, I don’t fear them,” said Guardiola (above). “I respect them a lot and I’ve faced them many times.

“If I say I’m scared of them, I would be false. You can believe what you want when I say that. But

I have to have respect for them.

“There’s the rivalry – you want to beat them and do well.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

“I want to do as well as we can and be ourselves, but I’m not scared of them and if they beat me – as has happened many times – we will say, ‘Congratulations’, and wish them well.

“You’re facing Real Madrid, they want to attack you and create chances.

“They’re very dangerous – they’ve always been the team to cause us problems and we’re going to have to give everything to win the game.

“The games have been good in previous years and this one will also be good.

“Perhaps they will do something different, we have to wait and see.

“They will have seen the way we played and adjusted certain things, so we’ll see what happens.”

City are expected to welcome back Kyle Walker (above), who missed the first leg with a hamstring injury and has not played since last month – but made the bench last Saturday.

“Kyle trained well and he feels good,” added Guardiola.

“I don’t know whether he will play from the beginning or from the bench, but I think he will be with us.”