Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is treating his side’s EFL Cup fourth round clash with local rivals Manchester United like a ‘final’.
City will head into Wednesday night’s encounter at Old Trafford without a win in any of their last five matches, and if they fail to secure the spoils against their near neighbours, then it will be Guardiola’s longest winless run as a manager.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss knows just how important it is for his side to secure a victory against Jose Mourinho’s men, and he will be hoping for a repeat of the 2-1 success his side enjoyed when the two teams met in the league earlier this season.
He said: “I think everyone can believe this competition is not the big one but I am going to prepare to win the game.
For the players who play, we’ll be depending on them to make the best performance possible. It is a final.”
Despite his desire to win, the 45-year-old did confirm that he is likely to make changes to his side for the match, with games to come against West Brom in the league and Barcelona in Europe over the coming weeks.
“I don’t understand my job if I play a game thinking another game is more important – this is the most important,” Guardiola continued.
“But at the same time I have to consider how the condition of the players is. Three days after it is West Brom, then Barcelona, and they are so important as well.”
City are available at 2.88 to win the match, while United are priced at 2.50 and the draw is on offer at 3.40.
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