Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has stated he is not certain if the Citizens can win this season’s UEFA Champions League title.
The premier European football competition is the only trophy that has eluded the Catalan tactician since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016. They came closest during the 2020-21 season but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final in Porto.
It has been suggested in some quarters Guardiola’s tenure in the blue half of Manchester will not be deemed a success unless he wins the Champions League but the former Barcelona boss is simply focused on getting a result in Wednesday’s round of 16 first-leg tie against RB Leipzig of Germany, a repeat of their Group A meeting last season.
It's that time again! 💥
Who's ready? 🫡 pic.twitter.com/kYhhSSMAvK
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 22, 2023
“It’s [Champions League] a fantastic competition. I love it. I don’t know how far we’ll go but already being here at this stage and to qualify last season to be here… Every season it is more and more difficult just to qualify for the Champions League next season,” he said ahead of the match.
“To go through the group stage is difficult, you know how many good teams cannot be there. The dream is to go forward and do a good game [against Leipzig] and go to the quarter-finals.
“We want to do our best. If it’s going to happen it’s going to happen. At the end the destiny is already written. We’ve been close, sometimes not, sometimes closer.”
Guardiola also emphasised that only reigning champions Real Madrid are the most capable of winning the competition based on their level of success in the past nine years with five titles.
“Everyone put a perspective that everything is a disaster if you don’t win some prizes. I don’t know if everyone puts this perspective for themselves. I don’t want to put this perspective on myself,” he stated.
“I’m blessed to be here. I never thought when I arrived [at City] every year we have to win the Premier League or every year you have to win three or four Champions League. Except Real Madrid the rest can’t do it!
“The last two seasons we’ve been really close and played really, really good games. And we try to do it again.”
City claimed an 8-4 aggregate victory over Leipzig in their Group A meeting last season, though the fixture at the Red Bull Arena ended in a 2-1 defeat.
