MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on the club’s supporters to consider the match against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium, early Wednesday morning, as the final match in the mission to book a spot in next season’s Champions League.
City are currently fourth in the Premier League with 58 points after 33 matches – one point ahead of Villa who are in seventh place.
The top five teams will qualify for the main European competition next season.
“It’s a final and we need our fans. I’m sure they want to see City in the Champions League next season,” Guardiola told a news conference.
“Hopefully they will support us from the first minute. Don’t wait. Sometimes we are slow to warm up, sometimes the performance doesn’t work out.
“But right now, we really need them, we really need them to cheer, give us energy and make the stadium buzz. This is like a final for us.”
Guardiola also warned that Aston Villa are not easy opponents, not to mention the team beat City 2-1 in the last meeting in December.
In fact, he admired the performance of the Midlands club who nearly eliminated Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League quarter-finals recently.