With Istanbul firmly in their sights, Manchester City gear up for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad tonight.
An exemplary second-half showing from Pep Guardiola’s men saw them emerge 2-1 winners from last week’s first leg at the Parc des Princes. Marquinhos once again scored on that big occasion, heading Paris into the lead on 15 minutes. City struggled to assert themselves for much of the first half. However, the ‘Cityzens’ found their rhythm after the interval and secured a win courtesy of second-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez. Paris’s Idrissa Gueye was sent off later on.
Manager Pep Guardiola said City will treat the second leg “like another game” as they bid to reach their first Champions League final. Guardiola won the competition twice with Barcelona but this is the furthest he has got in five attempts with City.
“We arrive in a good moment and I said to the guys, ‘Don’t think too much to win the game‘. ”
“We approach this game like another game… with a small advantage but we have to play to win the game. This is all we are going to do.”
Pep Guardiola, City’s Coach
The ‘Cityzens’ head into the second leg on the back of league victory. They defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Ferran Torres. Should Manchester City progress, they would reach their first European final for 51 years, since winning the 1970 Cup Winners’ Cup final against Gornik Zabrze.
PSG to be clinical in tonight’s decider
PSG dominated the first half of the first leg at the Parc des Princes. However, they failed to make the most of their early superiority and were punished as City hit back after the break. Pochettino has stressed the importance of taking any chances that come as he expects City to put on another good performance this time.
“We need to be ready to suffer in some parts of the game and, when we have our chances, we need to be clinical and aggressive.
“It’s a game, 90 minutes, and we need to finish scoring twice. We need two goals if we want to go through to the final. That’s the objective and we’re going to try.
“They have an advantage, 2-1, and we need to take a risk. We need to be brave, be clever, believe and show our quality on the pitch.”
Mauricio Pochettino, PSG’s Manager.
Meanwhile, PSG forward Kylian Mbappe is doubtful for the match at the Etihad Stadium having missed the weekend’s league win over Lens with a calf injury. Video footage showed the World Cup winner limping on his arrival in Manchester, with manager Mauricio Pochettino yet to decide if Mbappe will play.
Speaking on how dangerous PSG can be, Guardiola noted that “Paris can change their shape as their manager is so clever.”
“I don’t know what they are going to do. The desire to reach the final is normal, we’ve never been before here. We must focus on ourselves to read [the game], stick together in the bad moments, suffer together. We will try to impose our game as much as possible. The players must defend well, be patient, and try to score goals.”
Pep Guardiola, City’s Coach.
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