Pep Guardiola has opened up on his desire to get his hands on the Champions League trophy once again as he prepares to take on Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern Munich.
City host the German giants in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final on Tuesday evening, with Guardiola looking to finally bring European silverware to the Etihad.
Guardiola twice won the Champions League back in 2009 and 2011 with Barcelona, but has so far been unable to reclaim Europe’s biggest prize during his spells at Bayern Munich or Manchester City.
“[I want to win it] a lot. We want to try,” he said at his pre-match press conference. “It is an honour to be here against an elite club in Bayern Munich. We will not take it for granted. We have to play two games. Starting tomorrow.
“The question has been coming every single season. I understand that. We try every single season. Teams you face are also good too and want to win too. My dream is to live it again. We want to try but that doesn’t mean we are going to win.”
Since Bayern qualified for the last eight, they have dispensed with the services of Julian Nagelsmann and appointed former Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, as his replacement.
“They are both creative managers in the way they shape their formations,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow is going to do something new.
“I try to figure out the quality they have in all departments. It would have been difficult with Julian Nagelsmann and also will be difficult against Tuchel.
š£ļø āA lot!ā š¤£
Pep Guardiolaās reaction to be asked if Manchester City want to win the UEFA Champions League. pic.twitter.com/MNXr1ndwza
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 10, 2023
“I don’t pay that much attention, more attention on what I do with my team.”
Asked specifically about Tuchel, he added: “He is a creative manager. Good build up, good connections between players with good runners who attack the spaces.
“He did well in Dortmund, went to Paris and arrived in final against Bayern, when they played a good game, and at Chelsea, as we know, he did a good job.”
Tuchel famously got the upper hand over Guardiola in the 2021 Champions League final in Porto as Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners, though Guardiola insists that it will not have any bearing on this fixture.
“It happened. We try again. Defeats and victories stick at the same level. It is forgotten just the same. I don’t pay attention to what happened in the past. It’s part of the game.”
The Spaniard said Bayern pose ‘a lot of threat’, but urged his side to ‘focus’ on their own performance.
“They have a lot of threat and it is a good test for us, but in the end we compete against ourselves. Of course, the opponent is there, but we have to focus on what we have to do.”
