Source: Manchester Evening News
Monday 17 April 2023 15:48:55
Pep Guardiola has told his Manchester City players to be “aggressive” against Bayern Munich on Wednesday in order to shut off any sniff of a comeback.
The Blues travel to Germany with a 3-0 lead from last week’s first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. They followed the result up with a stylish 3-1 win over Leicester on Saturday while Bayern were held to a 1-1 draw by Hoffenheim.
The Bavarian outfit were hit with controversy after the loss to City when Sadio Mane punched Leroy Sane in a post-match bust-up. The former Liverpool man was suspended by the club for the game with Hoffenheim but is available for selection against City.
Bayern's former boss Guardiola said the incident will have fired Bayern up to play better in the second leg and so called on his players to adopt an aggressive tone given the stars within the home ranks.
“We have a final in four days against Bayern Munich and I know the character and personality they have with their players and the mentality. We have to work a lot and be stable mentally in our bad moments,” the City manager said.
“We have to go there so aggressive to win the game, to score goals and win the game. This is the mindset I have - and I would like to put that in the mind of my players.
“We will watch the first game back and see what things we can do better and prevent the good things they can do and try to win the game.”