City not on revenge mission against Madrid, says Guardiola

The UEFA Champions League semifinal loss to Real Madrid from the previous season must not be attempted to exact revenge, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, and his players must do just that on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s matchup between the two teams will occur at the same level of the competition, with Manchester City playing away in the first leg in Madrid.

During their press conference at Santiago Bernabeu earlier on Monday, Guardiola’s midfielder Rodri made a comment that clearly infuriated him.

He had expressed excitement for “a chance for vengeance” against Real Madrid.

“It would be a grave error to assume we are here to exact revenge; we are not! In a later press conference, Guardiola said, “We must view it as another opportunity (to advance to the final).”

Because everything will be decided in Manchester and not here, we are here to achieve a successful outcome.

The events of the previous season did indeed occur. This is merely another opportunity.

We approach this with the mindset that we can succeed if we try again and improve.

“The most valuable thing we can learn from last season is that we are not going here seeking retribution, but rather for a successful outcome. And to let Manchester win in the end.”

The manager of Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti, earlier on Monday stressed the need of entering the second game with a mental advantage.

When questioned about the remarks, Guardiola disagreed with his counterpart and appeared uneasy once more.

We had a significant psychological advantage last year because we had won the first leg decisively. But have a look at what occurred,” Guardiola stated.

Ferland Mendy made a goal-line save, but the outcome was unaffected. These particulars determine whether you reach a conclusion or not.

“There is a cross where perhaps we ought to have made another pass or handled the ball with more care. I’m not sure.

We must do exceptionally well in both games; else, it would be very challenging.

Real Madrid came back from being on the verge of elimination after Manchester City defeated them 4-3 in a thrilling first-leg matchup last year.

They defeated them 3-1 after overtime to advance to the championship.

“When I first joined Manchester City, I believed I would win the Champions League the first year, the following year, the year after that, and so on.

“Same thing with the final one. That’s how I think. And now we’re here, ready to attempt once again,” stated Guardiola.

What I don’t want is a team that wins the Champions League once and then regresses over the course of ten years or falls behind in the league.

“No, we must maintain stability. We want something that will always be there, like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, or Liverpool. That club is wholesome.

I like FC Barcelona, and it took them a while to get to the championship game. Stability is crucial because everything is a process.

NAN