Pep Guardiola says Chelsea match in Premier League will have no impact on Champions League final
Champions League finalists meet in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium, with Manchester City knowing victory will secure the title; Watch Man City vs Chelsea live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm
Friday 7 May 2021 15:05, UK
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League match against Chelsea on Saturday comes too early to have any bearing on the Champions League final.
City face Thomas Tuchels's side at the Etihad Stadium, live on Sky Sports, in a game which is now a dress rehearsal for European club football's showpiece in Istanbul on May 29.
Victory against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium saw City reach the final for the first time in their history.
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"If we played the final in one week, six days, it could be [a factor] but after tomorrow there are 21-22 days," said Guardiola.
"Many things can happen. We just have to focus.
"There is not one thought about the final because we don't have the Premier League in our hands. When we have the Premier League, then the focus will be on the Champions League."
Guardiola, whose side lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals last month, is bidding to win his third Premier League title in the last four seasons.
"Always I have said the Premier League is the most important title," he added.
"Financially for the club, maybe qualifying for the Champions League is the most important but there is no doubt this is the most important.
"The Champions League is so special, it is nice, but this means so many things. We have four games to get two points, one victory, and we are going to try to get it."
"There is not one thought about the final because we don't have the Premier League in our hands. When we have the Premier League then the focus will be on the Champions League."
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Guardiola, whose side has already won the Carabao Cup this season, insists his squad have positions to play for in the run-up to the Champions League final.
"People might think the guys who played against Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Monchengladbach are going to play the final. Right now, I don't know," he said.
"What I want is everyone involved in the next two to three weeks to prepare for the final."
Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel described Guardiola as a "winning machine" but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager says he is indebted to the clubs he has worked at for his silverware haul.
"We [managers] need good clubs and good players," Guardiola said.
"There are no secrets in that. I've been in three amazing clubs with incredible structures and especially incredible players.
"If I go to a team without these financial powers, these incredible players then I wouldn't be a winning machine. All I can is we are lucky to have this opportunity to do it."
