Champions League: Pep Guardiola confident Man City can sweep Lyon aside
Man City boss Guardiola: "Anything can happen, it is a knockout game, but we are ready. The pressure will be there, but it will be for all the other teams. We are prepared"
Saturday 15 August 2020 20:40, UK
Pep Guardiola is convinced Manchester City are ready to overcome Lyon and take their place in the last four of the Champions League.
City reached the reformatted quarter-final stage of the tournament by completing victory over Real Madrid in the last-16 stage last week.
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Ligue 1 side Lyon, who beat Italian champions Juventus on away goals to secure their place in the quarters, stand between City and a semi-final tie against Bayern Munich.
Speaking ahead of Saturday's quarter-final in Lisbon, Guardiola said: "Anything can happen, it is a knockout game, but we are ready. The pressure will be there, but it will be for all the other teams. We are prepared."
The remaining matches in the tournament will all be played over one leg in Lisbon, which could suit City given they have won the League Cup three times in succession and the FA Cup under Guardiola.
Guardiola said: "It's quite different. When you play first leg you have one eye on second leg.
"But when we play FA Cup or Carabao Cup we are used to it. There are no second chances - you are either in or out. The approach is very different."
City failed to beat Lyon when they met twice in last season's group stage.
Guardiola said: "They are a tough team with a lot of good players. We have to be focused on ourselves, be prepared and fight until the end to try to win."
Pep: Silva ready to shine before departing
The tournament will mark the end of David Silva's City career after an outstanding 10-year spell at the club.
Guardiola has no doubt he will be keen to go out on a high.
"Absolutely he is ready," Guardiola said. "The way he trains, his personality.
"It's a shame his last game at the Etihad was without people but he'll be back. When the people can be there he will get what he deserves."
Aguero sidelined for Lyon clash
Sergio Aguero will not be involved when City face Lyon in Saturday's Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon.
City's leading scorer has been out since undergoing knee surgery in June but had not been ruled out of the latter stages of the European tournament.
However, City boss Pep Guardiola said the striker is still not ready for action.
Guardiola said: "He is still in Barcelona. I think he should come here and do a test. He is still in Barcelona making a recovery."
Walker: We're desperate for UCL glory
Kyle Walker has no doubt the Champions League is now the prize City want and need the most.
City have won 11 major domestic honours, including four Premier League titles, since ending a 35-year trophy drought in 2011.
The next step is to transfer that success onto the European stage with a 2016 semi-final showing still the furthest the club has gone in a decade of competing.
Walker said: "I think if you had asked me this two years ago when I signed here, I would have probably said that the Premier League was the big one for me having not won it before.
"Now I have collected two of them and a number of others and this is the one that I want, and I can probably speak on behalf of the whole squad and Manchester City as well for what they need as a club to put them onto that next pedestal."
