Pep Guardiola has played down the relevance of Manchester City’s recent Champions League hangovers, ahead of the club’s trip to face Brighton this weekend.
The Premier League champions travel to face the Seagulls at the Amex Stadium tomorrow evening, looking to end a recent record of having failed to win their last four league fixtures after Champions League involvement.
Manchester City won 5-1 at Club Brugge on Tuesday evening to boost their hopes of once again reaching the Champions League’s knockout stages, though next face a difficult task against a Brighton side sitting fourth in the Premier League at present.
Guardiola says he is paying no attention to City’s recent record post-Europe, insisting his focus is solely on securing a positive result against Graham Potter’s high-flying side.
“I don’t take notes,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference. “If you focus on statistics, you are going to lose.
“I don’t pay attention before or after the international break. I see the team – how they trained today and the last games. This is my concern – not the mentality – the strategy of the opponent.”
