The Man City boss has called to the fans for maximum support in “final” against Aston Villa
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has implored fans to get behind the players in Tuesday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
City are fourth in the Premier League, but one point ahead of the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-placed teams, in this season’s extremely tight contest for a top five finish.
Aston Villa recently defeated Paris Saint-Germain at home in the Champions League – although ultimately exiting the competition 5-4 on aggregate – and have won all of their last five in the Premier League. They will be looking to take that momentum to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and return with a win to bolster their chances of reappearing among Europe’s elite next season.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the game, Guardiola didn’t hold back in his praise of the Villa team.
“[Villa] is a contender to qualify for the Champions League, and both games they play against my friend Luis Enrique and PSG, wow I was really impressed,” Guardiola said.
“They can play low block or not, but when they decide to go, with the weapons they have, the speed they have, the set pieces, and the way they organise with Unai [Emery].”
The 54-year-old acknowledged that the tie against them would be a difficult one for the club and then called for fan support.
“It’s a final and we need our people,” said Guardiola, “because I think our people want the Champions League next season again.
“Hopefully they can help us from minute one. Don’t wait. Sometimes we are sloppy, sometimes we are not playing well.
“But it’s now we need them. We need them desperately, to support us, to make noise and be there all the time, because it’s a final, absolutely it’s a final for us.”
