Pep Guardiola acknowledged the significant challenge ahead for his Manchester City side as they prepare to take on either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the Champions League play-offs.
The Premier League giants narrowly avoided an early exit from the competition after staging a comeback to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
The defending champions found themselves in trouble when Raphael Onyedika fired the Belgian side into the lead just before the half-time whistle.
Had the result remained the same for the entire game, City – who were sitting outside of the top 24 teams in the competition – could have been eliminated from the Champions League.
However, they responded swiftly after the break, with Mateo Kovacic surging forward and placing a composed finish into the bottom corner to level the score just eight minutes into the second half.
The turnaround continued nine minutes later when Joel Ordonez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net. Savinho then sealed the victory with a late goal, ensuring City’s place in the play-offs.
Pep Guardiola acknowledged the significant challenge ahead for his Man City side in Europe
The Premier League giants narrowly avoided an early exit from the competition after staging a comeback to defeat Club Brugge
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Guardiola acknowledged their sluggish start but praised their second-half improvement
Despite their relief at advancing, the road ahead is daunting, with Guardiola’s men set to face one of two European powerhouses.
‘Going to Bayern Munich or Real Madrid will be really tough,’ Guardiola admitted. ‘But it’s in two weeks, and in two weeks we have a few players back, the new signings back, so hopefully we can do two good games.
‘They are better than us right now, both of them, but I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two weeks.
‘Ruben [Dias] and Nathan [Ake] are back, Jeremy [Doku], Oscar [Bobb], new signings. If everybody comes back, we can compete.’
Reflecting on his team’s performance against Club Brugge, Guardiola acknowledged their sluggish start but praised their second-half improvement.
‘In the second half, we lifted our soul and our hearts were free,’ he said.
‘For today, we are in the next round, that’s good. The first half was so academic, we didn’t have the spark to do it against a team that defends really well.
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‘It has been so unstable this season. Today is a sense of relief to qualify and, of course, it is a long season for us.’
Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart, meanwhile, is eagerly anticipating the upcoming draw, especially with Bayern Munich now managed by City legend Vincent Kompany.
‘It would be great to get Vinnie [Kompany] back at the Etihad with Bayern, but Real Madrid would be an absolutely massive tie too,’ Hart said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘Whoever City and Celtic get next out of those two in the play-offs, it is really exciting for both my former clubs… bring on Friday’s draw!’
