00 SLOPPY REDS DRAW BLANK
Missed chances prove costly as Liverpool fail to breach cautious Bayern’s blockade City will take no prisoners
LIVERPOOL failed to draw first blood at Anfield meaning it is now very much advantage Bayern Munich in their Champions League last-16 tie.
The German side’s resilience saw them leave Liverpool with a goalless draw and they will now be favourites ahead of the second leg at the Allianz Arena on March 13, having lost just two of their last 26 home Champions League games. Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, so often the saviours for Jurgen Klopp’s side, both missed chances to put Liverpool ahead. But Bayern were also a threat, with Serge Gnabry instrumental in much of their attacking play.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said: “It’s disappointing that we haven’t scored. We had enough chances, especially in the first half.” PEP GUARDIOLA has told his players to go for the jugular and kill off their Champions League last-16 tie against Schalke in the first leg in Germany tonight. Manchester City’s manager, below, said the Bundesliga club deserve respect despite a miserable league campaign. But he maintained City’s stars must not leave the tie in the balance ahead of the second leg in three weeks. Guardiola said: “We will try to impose our game and score goals. Sometimes it is better to be defensive at home and score away but we will look to be ourselves.
“It may not happen that we score four or five but we will try to do a good game,
get a good result and then try to finish the game in Manchester.”
City travelled to Gelsenkirchen yesterday without John Stones, Gabriel Jesus, Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph, with the first two left behind on account of groin and hamstring injuries respectively.
Guardiola confirmed they were “not big ones” but just enough to rule them out of a midweek trip.
Yet City could not be in a more confident frame of mind after capping a three-match winning league run with a 6-0 thrashing of Chelsea and smooth passage in the FA Cup by beating Newport County on Saturday.
In contrast, Schalke have followed up a season in which they qualified for the Champions League with just six wins from 22 games and sit uncomfortably close to the relegation zone in 14th place.
Domenico Tedesco’s side should be a different proposition in their Veltins Arena home tonight, insisted the City boss.
“This competition is special, the teams are good and you have to survive the atmosphere and in the right moments make the difference,” said Guardiola.