CHAMPIONS LEAGUE We’re not favourites for Spurs tie - Pep
PEP Guardiola believes City’s Champions League quarter-final with Tottenham is a ‘50/50’ tie.
The Blues will face their Premier League rivals in a showdown for a semi-final spot, with the first leg in London on April 9 and the return at the Etihad on April 17.
City have won their last three games against Tottenham, but Guardiola doesn’t think that gives his side the edge over two legs.
“We know each other quite well, we played many times over the last years. It’s 50/50, we try to get that before that game in the best condition possible,” Guardiola said of the Champions League draw.
“Tottenham, huge respect because I know them quite well.
“They can use different systems, how good they are up front with Son (Heung-min), (Harry) Kane, Dele Ali, with the quality from (Christian) Eriksen.
“It’s a tough side but any other team in the Champions League would be the same.
“Any team has its strong points and weak points, the same as us. We must try to discover that. What I want is to come back from the international break with people fit, ready to play the last month and a half with everybody making his own contribution because if we are able to get to the semi-finals (of the FA Cup), April is incredible with the fixtures we have, a lot of games, and everybody will be necessary to play.”
“It happens, it’s the fixtures. For both it is a pleasure to be in the quarterfinal and the last eight teams in the Champions League.”
With four Premier League teams in the last eight of the Champions League there was always a strong chance two English sides would face each other.
The draw does at least reduce City’s travel time for the European ties.
“We travel to London. London is closer than going to Spain or Catalonia,” Guardiola said. “When you have four teams in the Premier League in the same draw you have a chance to get one of them.
“I know quite well the quality of this team.”
City faced an all-English tie in the Champions League quarter-finals last season when they played Liverpool, but Guardiola insists this tie is a ‘different situation’ to that one.
City won both of their Premier League ties with Tottenham last season and also beat Mauricio Pochettino’s side at Wembley earlier in this campaign. Ajax v Juventus Liverpool v Porto Tottenham v City Barcelona v United Ties to be played April 9/10 and April 16/17
The draw means the Blues and Tottenham will play each other three times in 11 days, with a Premier League meeting on April 20.
Guardiola experienced a similar run when managing Barcelona in 2010/11, with four meetings against Real Madrid in 11 days, and he believes the fixtures will be influenced by what has happened previously.
“In that position it was three different competitions,” he said. “It’s game by game, the first games influences the second one, the second one influences the third. We can’t think about it too much yet, it’s game by game.”
The winner of the tie will face either Ajax or Juventus in the semifinals.