‘We are scared of them’ – Pep Guardiola has Man City Champions League fear

When asked about the formidable opponents that City could face in next week’s Champions League quarterfinal draw, Pep Guardiola conceded that Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain are among the most formidable.

Pep Guardiola arrives at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the Champions League game against FC Copenhagen

The fear of facing the top teams in Europe in the Champions League is something that Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City still deals with.

However, Guardiola cautioned rival teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to be wary of City after his team breezed into the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive year. On Wednesday, City won 6-2 on aggregate after rematching their 3-1 away victory over FC Copenhagen from last month at the Etihad. The notion that the tie was easy was dismissed by the Blues boss.

Despite cruising into the quarterfinals as reigning champions, the manager did confess he would be concerned if City were to face Real Madrid, PSG, or Bayern in the last eight draw next Friday. Consider Bayern Munich’s history and the number of Champions Leagues they’ve won before playing against them. Everyone here is respectful, and we’re terrified, too. We are, and I don’t know about them,” Guardiola stated.

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Granted, City’s European record does demonstrate their readiness for another quarterfinal, which he did concede. They swept Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year and annihilated Bayern in the finals last year.

“I say to the players, maybe it’s not enough for you,” he said more. Every time we go through the group stage, I can attest to how challenging it is. Some claim it’s just Copenhagen, which is fine. Much of the credit goes to you. It appears that 6-2 is not a difficult aggregate. That’s not the case.

Madrid loses to Leipzig in the end, but they still managed to advance. Leipzig is our match, and everyone says it will be easy. As challenging as it is, nothing is easy. It is encouraging that our form is taken for granted; it shows that our standards are met. However, the players and managers are known to us internally. That everything is so intricate is how I would like my club and its hierarchy to make me feel. I don’t care that you’re present. Always performing well in competitions.

“They allowed me time, which is essential. I think it’s safe to say that we’re now in a losing phase. Our journey from the final to the semi-finals to the final and back to the quarter-finals proves that we can compete anywhere. Our consistency in Europe is assured. We have the utmost respect for our opponents, but when they see Man City, they probably think, “Okay, we’re in for a tough fight, too.”