JAKARTA - Pep Guardiola invites Manchester City players to enjoy the pressure that will arise when they appear in the Champions League semifinals.

This is the first time City have reached the semifinals since Guardiola's handling and The Citizens will play the first leg at the Paris Saint-Germain headquarters on Wednesday local time (Thursday, western Indonesia time).

Guardiola realizes that their opponent, PSG, has been dominating in recent years, especially when they were runners-up last season.

"We know we have to be ready to bleed in these two matches and the opponent clearly has a chance," Guardiola said at a pre-match press conference reported by City's official website, Tuesday night.

"I know their weapons. Everyone who likes football knows their qualities."

"We will not argue with that, but we are in the semifinals of the Champions League. Of course, we cannot expect to face players of average quality," he added.

Guardiola recalls the lessons learned when he and his teammates underwent the 1992 Champions Cup final (the predecessor of the Champions League) under Johan Cruijff.

"I learned a lot from Johan Cruijff, to enjoy the match. Enjoy the responsibility and the pressure," he said.

"The magic phrase he said before the 1992 final against Sampdoria at Wembley was 'get out and enjoy.' I know I won't say it, because I'm not Johan Cruijff."

"But enjoy the trip, coffee at the airport, evening at the hotel, dinner with us, this press conference and tomorrow we will enjoy the opportunity to walk there, as well as a training session. This is all the process."

"We are honored to be one of the best four teams this season and it must be enjoyed. That's what I want to see from the players," he concluded.


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