“If we play against history, we don’t have a chance”, says Guardiola of Real Madrid

This Tuesday, Manchester City and Real Madrid measure forces for the first game of the semifinals of Champions League. The duel takes place at the Etihad Stadium, at 16:00 (Brasília time). In a pre-match interview, Citizens captain Pep Guardiola admitted that if you only consider the history of the two teams in the competition, the Manchester club has no chance.

“If we play against history, we don’t have a chance. In that they are better, but our desire is to compete against them in this incredible competition. We want to try. We have to know how to suffer, be united and attack when we have the ball”, commented Pep.

Manchester City have only reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the third time and have a runner-up. Real Madrid, on the other hand, is the biggest champion of the tournament with 13 titles.

Guardiola also made a point of praising Brazilian Vinicius Júnior, who has been one of Real Madrid’s main players alongside Benzema.

“Before I would talk about Benzema, but Vinicius, for example, is only 21 years old, he arrived very young, he received a lot of criticism and this season he has been fantastic, he is in the national team. Sometimes we are too quick to criticize the players. He is only 21 years, he is in a great team and his numbers speak for themselves”, he said.

The Spanish captain also stated that City have been evolving in recent years and are coming strong to win their first trophy.

“In the last decade we have always been present. We’ve made it through the group stage, we’ve reached the round of 16, the semi-finals. It’s a process. Now we have to play two good games to reach the final. We have respect for Real Madrid, but we want to pass and win the club’s first title”, he added.

In addition to a good campaign in the Champions League, Manchester City leads the English Premier League with 80 points – one more than the Liverpool – with five rounds to go.