PERFECT
Guardiola: We must be flawless tonight to overcome deficit ... and I’m not sure we can be
Man City v Liverpool Champions League quarter-final, Etihad Stadium; KO 7.45pm; Liverpool lead 3-0 after first leg PEP GUARDIOLA says Manchester City must play “the perfect game” tonight to overhaul Liverpool – but admitted they may not be ready to conquer Europe.
City boss Guardiola said: “We have to create chances, be clinical with them and concede few chances ourselves. All the conditions have to be perfect. “For the next step, maybe we need more
time, but we’ve done better than last season and my feeling is that next season we’ll be better, so you need to take steps.”
City go into tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Jurgen Klopp’s side with a mountain to climb following a 3-0 defeat at Anfield.
“To go through we have to play the perfect game,” Guardiola acknowledged.
“The result from the first leg is tough, but we have 90 minutes and in football everything can happen, so we’re going to try.
“This team is ready to fight with all the teams in Europe, I’m sure, but the mountain you have to climb is high.
“They’re so good, the other teams, so it’s difficult, but we can compete, especially at home.”
Although City are set to win their first Premier League title under Guardiola, he conceded they must lift the Champions League to join the bracket of Europe’s elite clubs.
“We need titles in Europe and it will happen sooner or later,” he said. “Beating Barcelona last season was so special, because we know they’re the best team in the world.”