City manager Guardiola declear Barc clash as a cup fainal

Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola says Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Spanish giants Barcelona could be described as a “cup final” for Manchester City, acknowledging that his side would have to play “almost perfectly” to beat his former steeds.

The former Barcelona manager watched as his new team were demolished 4-0 at the Nou Camp a fortnight ago, leaving them on just four points from their first three games of Group C and in risk of missing out on the knockout stage qualification.

The former Bayern Munich gaffer noted that a positive result on Tuesday would leave his team in a strong position to go through.

He told a press conference ahead of the Barcelona clash, “It’s not a final for them, it is a final for us.

“It’s just three games left now. We dropped two points in Glasgow against Celtic. So we will try, we will try it again.

“I’ve never thought we could not win, I have never entered a match thinking we can’t win.

“We have to play almost perfectly to win, but if not we congratulate them and set our minds on the game against Celtic and in Monchengladbach in a few weeks.”

Meanwhile, even if the Citizens lose against Barcelona on Tuesday, they would still progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League with wins from their final two group matches against Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic.