Bayern Munich will match the Catalans' run of nine consecutive Champions League wins set a decade ago with victory over Viktoria Plzen, and the 42-year-old is eager to do so
Victory over the Czechs would see the current holders record their ninth win in the competition in a row, equalling the run set by Barcelona in the 2002-03 season.
Guardiola has warned Tuesday's opponents will be no pushovers despite the 5-0 scoreline at the Allianz Arena on matchday three, but the former Blaugrana boss has revealed the prospect of equalling another record serves as extra motivation for his side.
"Every game in the Champions League is dangerous because every opponent you come up against in this competition has experience," he told reporters.
"Plzen won 6-1 in the league at the weekend and are on good form, but I see a chance for us to qualify for the knockout stage.
"It is always a challenge if you can break a record and you always make the effort to. We know about it, but we will put this to one side when we go on to the pitch.
"It is a bit more motivation for us − it is in my mind a bit − but we have to concentrate on the game itself."
Die Roten top both their Champions League group and the Bundesliga and have won their last four matches in a row, but the 42-year-old insists there is room for improvement from his charges.
"There is always something to improve on, even in the games that we win, and we still want to get better," he added.
"We have been at the very top and won everything, but that means we have to work even harder to maintain our position."
Plzen coach Pavel Vrba is hoping his team is better prepared to face the defending Champions League winners given their torrid display in Munich in the previous round.
"We have shown the players the video from our game against Bayern twice. First I talked about the match itself, then the second time I wanted them to watch their performances and see what needed to improve," he said.
"We would like to change virtually everything about our performance in Munich, but the question is whether or not we have the quality to do it.
"Just remember the score Bayern recorded last season against Barcelona. We are going to try to do as much as possible to make it harder for them.
"We might change our tactical lineup, and make it a bit more of an attacking formation as we are going to play at home and be more active on the ball, but of course the question is whether it will be enough." ------------------ goal.com
No comments:
Post a Comment