Pep Guardiola Not Sure Manchester City Will Win The Champions League

Pep Guardiola is not sure Manchester City won the Champions League this season (Instagram/@mancity).

JAKARTA - Pep Guardiola said he was not sure Manchester City could win the Champions League this season.

Manchester City finally qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League after rising from behind to a 3-1 win over Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, January 30, 2025.

The Citizens will meet Real Madrid in a two-legged playoffs to compete for a ticket to the round of 16.

Pessimism from Guardiola cannot be separated from the obstacles faced ahead. Apart from Real Madrid which must be faced in February 2025, Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen are waiting in the round of 16.

"At the moment, no," Guardiola said when asked if he believed Manchester City would win the Champions League this season.

However, the Manchester City manager added that when he faced one of the European giants, his team may have been in a better position.

"I am very pragmatic. They are more experienced than we are. Real Madrid have risen in the last game."

"If you have to play tomorrow, it will be difficult, but in two weeks I don't know our position and the players."

"The players in the dressing room said it was okay, we'll fit and see what happens," Guardiola said.

Manchester City qualified for the playoffs despite only winning three games in the group stage against Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague, and Club Brugge.

"You might say it's impossible today, but tomorrow the mindset or mood will change."

"I'm pretty sure we're going to create a problem for Real Madrid because the players have something special."

"We will play against one of the giants and we will see what happens," said Guardiola.

Meanwhile, previously Guardiola was not sure he could win against Club Brugge and failed to qualify for the playoffs.

The fire that occurred outside the Etihad Stadium before the match made Guardiola haunted as a bad sign.

"When I saw the fire before the game, I thought during the break of the game journalists already had headlines, which was that we were eliminated (bad signs)."

"When you play without anything to be at stake, we will win and go," said Guardiola.