Ilkay Gundogan and Pep Guardiola faced the media in Munich shortly after landing in Germany ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich, with the Blues taking a three-goal advantage to the Allianz Arena after a clinical display at the Etihad last week.
First up, Gundogan.
On the second leg approach:
"It’s about finding the balance [between going for the game and defending]. We want to play our style, have to be clinical. We know from experience as well and the games we’ve watched that everything is still possible. This competition has something special. We’re taking it very seriously and know that we’re playing against one of the best teams in Europe. That’s how we’re approaching the game. It’s about us not allowing them to get momentum and to get the first goal, as they’ll feel there’s still a lot to play for. The best way to deal with this is to play our style. Try to be efficient."
Hunger after the 2021 final defeat:
"The further you get in the competition, the bigger the hunger to win it... I was close at Dortmund in 2013 and most of the squad was close a couple of years ago, but it wasn’t to be, which increases the desire to get back to the final and win the trophy."
On his future:
"There are talks in the background, I think it’s normal [with two months left on the contract]. But without going into too much detail, there’s nothing decided yet from my side or the club’s side so the talks continue and if there’s a decision you guys will be the first to know."
On Bayern / Thomas Tuchel:
"Throughout the time if he is given enough time you will see to what levels they will become even if they are not there right now consistently. I think it’s just a matter of time before you will watch them and say ‘wow’. Hopefully not tomorrow!"
Next up, Guardiola.
On Phil Foden, who made a return to first-team training this morning and travelled with the full squad to Munich:
"He has trained just once but we decided he should travel with us and be on the bench... He won’t play 90 minutes but he is a special player who doesn’t need a lot of training sessions to be fit. He’s important not just for tomorrow, but for the tight schedule we have ahead of us."
On Bayern / the game that could be played:
"This is an opportunity to prove ourselves versus one of the best in Europe and we’ll try to impose our game. We’ll try to do as much as possible... the mindset is to try and win the game. I’ve been here at Bayern Munich and I know the mentality of this club. It’s everywhere; it’s in the skin. It’s possible [for them to come back]. It’s nice to challenge them and travel around Europe to play these teams, we weren’t there one decade ago - we watched on TV. It’s nice to be here and try to make the semi-final once again. This is our model. What do you do to achieve it? Be yourself as much as possible and do your game as much as possible."
Written by: @NA1907_
Some quotes as quoted by Manchester Evening News and Manchester City.
Follow our Twitter account for reliable, live updates on all the latest news surrounding this story and everything Manchester City in real time.