Pep Guardiola: Manchester City not favourites for the Champions League despite winning streak
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Updated 25/02/2021 at 08:46 GMT
Manchester City recorded their 19th win in a row in all competitions as goals from Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus helped them beat Borussia Monchengladbach in the first leg of their last-16 tie. Despite their impressive run of form, Pep Guardiola doesn't believe City are the favourites to win the competition for the first time.
'We have money to buy incredible players' – Guardiola on winning streak
Pep Guardiola does not see Manchester City as favourites for the Champions League even after they eased to a last-16 first-leg victory over Borussia Monchengladbach to win their 19th match in a row.
Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus got the goals as City won the away leg 2-0 to take control of the tie.
The only negative for City was that they didn’t score more, but they still look in ominous form as they aim to win the competition for the first time, even if Guardiola isn’t ready to call them favourites.
"When I see Bayern Munich yesterday [4-1 win over Lazio] I don't think we are favourites,” the City boss told BT Sport.
"My target is West Ham in three days, it's a big challenge to recover the players and arrive there in the best condition as possible.
"If people say we are favourites we have to accept it, but a team who in their whole history has been in a semi-final once OK, they say it, we have to accept it."
Reflecting on the game, Guardiola added: "In general, we controlled the game. Unfortunately today we were not clinical enough up front.
"That is something we have to improve in this competition. Up front we have to be more clinical. In this competition you have to be perfect to make sure you go through."
The second leg will take place at the Etihad Stadium on March 16 with City strong favourites to advance to the quarter-finals.
Gladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus thinks his side need to be “braver” if they are going to have a chance of progressing.
"We wanted to be courageous with our limited chances and I felt we did that well at times," he told DAZN.
"City played with a very high line and if we’d been better with the final ball in behind, there might have been more in it for us. We have to be braver in the second leg."
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