Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has challenged his players to make the most of their home advantage when they host Sparta Prague in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash.
Softfootball added that Guardiola stressed the importance of securing maximum points at the Etihad Stadium, warning that City’s difficult away fixtures later in the competition make home victories essential if they are to finish among the top eight.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Guardiola admitted the revamped Champions League format has made qualification much more demanding.
He noted that with 36 teams competing and only eight earning automatic qualification, every point will be crucial in determining who progresses directly to the knockout stage.
The Spaniard also pointed to City’s upcoming away trips to Sporting Lisbon, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain as reasons why they cannot afford to drop points on home soil.
Guardiola acknowledged that Sparta Prague have matched City’s points tally so far and praised the Czech side for their impressive display in their draw against Stuttgart, where they created numerous scoring opportunities.
The City boss admitted he had only recently studied Sparta Prague in detail but was impressed by what he saw, warning his players not to underestimate the visitors.
Manchester City will be aiming to continue their strong European campaign with another positive result in front of their home supporters.
