Pep Guardiola 'curious' to see if Manchester City fans 'really want' Champions League semi-final
Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City fans to pack out the Etihad and get behind their side in Wednesday night’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.
City will look to overturn a 1-0 deficit, but their supports have not always appeared enamoured with European competition, failing to sell out home games and booing the anthem prior to kick-off.
Guardiola says he is ‘curious’ to see how the crowd will be and wants them to turn up like they did for the crucial Premier League game with Liverpool at the start of January.
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“If tomorrow night they don’t help us… do it for the guys, they are so proud,” he said. “We need them in our bad moments, at this stage we cannot go through. I’m really curious to how our fans will be.
“I want the crowd to be like it was against Liverpool. I want to see if our fans really want to get to a semi-final. I want to see it tomorrow.”
Guardiola added that he wants the players’ desire to reach the semi-finals be matched by the fans.
How that will go down with City fans remains to be seen. As well as two trips to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final victory over Brighton and final against Brighton next month, City have had away games at Fulham and Crystal Palace recently in an expensive few weeks.
“Tomorrow is about desire,’ Guardiola added. “[The atmosphere during January’s] Liverpool game would be enough for me… a little bit better.
“I’ve arrived many times in quarter finals and semi finals, every time away the support is incredible and we need it.
“I want to see that they want to get to the semi finals, not just the players, the fans too. I want to see that.”
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