Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid will occur at the Bernabeu; Sky Sports’ live match blog will provide updates from Spain. On the rematch, Pep Guardiola, the manager of Man City, said, “We are not here for revenge.”
As he gets ready for Manchester City’s rematch with Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal, Pep Guardiola stressed that seeking retribution was not his driving force.
City has a chance to redeem itself this season after being heartbreakingly defeated by the Spanish squad in the last four last year.
Guardiola is concentrating on the game at hand rather than looking back a year ago as the first leg of their most recent matchup takes place at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.
“It was tough, but we made an exceptional first game in Manchester and played a really good game here,” the City boss remarked.
“Overall, a decent performance, but not sufficient. You offer your congratulations and accept them, and a year later, we are still together.
“We are not seeking retaliation; it is an additional chance, and we shall have it eventually. We’ll reach the championship game and prevail.
Since we played Real Madrid last season, “it didn’t happen,” and in this competition, “they know exactly what they have to do.”
Guardiola said that it was difficult to swallow the loss from the previous season at the moment.
With a 1-0 win on the night and a 5-3 aggregate advantage going into extra time, City controlled the tie in the second leg and appeared to be headed for the championship game.
However, they abruptly folded, conceding twice in a row and losing the game in overtime.
It added to the club’s list of close calls since Guardiola became manager in 2016, including losing in the 2021 championship game.
“Seven years ago, we wanted to win the Champions League,” remarked Guardiola. It seemed like the end of the world during the previous season, but here we are again.
“The most crucial factor is stability, and the crucial point is that we consistently strive to improve.
“Like last year, we were ready. We have the same management and many of the same players, but our games are very different.
“The difference is that the second leg is at home, and everything will be decided in Manchester.”
But unlike Guardiola, midfielder Rodri acknowledged he was thinking about getting payback.
“Football gives you the option to exact revenge,” the Spain midfielder added.
“We adhere to the notion that you can always draw lessons from the past. We played well in our first two games, but football was unpredictable, so we lost.
“We’ll fight once again. We’ll make an effort to learn from the mistakes we made at the time.
Nathan Ake, a defender for City, is out with a calf injury after getting hurt against Leeds on Saturday. He is a Netherlands international.
