Before the Man City - Liverpool match: While there is life, there is hope
(Baonghean.vn) - The 0-3 defeat to Liverpool in the first leg has put the Etihad Stadium team in a "life-or-death" situation. To win a ticket to the semi-finals, Man City must defeat their opponents by more than 3 goals.
Speaking at a press conference right after the quarter-final match between Liverpool and Man City (3-0) just ended, coach Pep Guardiola affirmed: “I have great faith in my team. They have shown many good things this season. This result is hard to accept, you cannot deny that.
Today, you think Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool will qualify. Juventus, Sevilla, Roma, Man City are the opposite. However, although the situation is difficult because we are facing a top team, we will still try our best. We have the right to believe in it."
Making a statement is one thing, implementing it is another. Apart from the advantage of playing at Etihad Stadium, Man City is not better than Liverpool in other factors, if not worse.
While coach Klopp's students only had an easy match with Everton (0-0) last Saturday, Kompany and his teammates had to lose a lot of physical and mental strength from the 2-3 loss to rival Man Utd.
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In the Champions League, Liverpool is still an extremely formidable force. Photo: Internet |
Obviously, entering this rematch, the home team Etihad is somewhat inferior to the visitors from the port city (experience, courage in the Champions League...). Winning against Liverpool is not an easy task, let alone winning by more than 3 goals. It seems that the goal of winning a ticket to the semi-finals for coach Pep Guardiola and his team is almost impossible.
Of course, saying that does not mean that Man City has no chance in the second leg. It is difficult but not impossible. In football, anything can happen. There have been teams that created miracles, when they were in a similar situation as the Etihad team at the present time.
Not to mention, in the knockout round of the Champions League last season, Barcelona suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat against PSG in the first leg at the Parc des Princes (Paris). However, in the rematch a few weeks later, the "Catalan giant" defeated the French team with a score of 1 tennis set (6-1).
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Barcelona players celebrate Roberto's goal that sealed the 6-1 win. Photo: Internet |
Barcelona's victory over PSG not only helped the Camp Nou team secure a ticket to the quarter-finals, but also provided a huge morale boost for teams that were in dire straits after the first leg. And coach Pep Guardiola and his team can learn from Barcelona's lessons and apply them to the life-and-death battle with Liverpool.
Don’t forget, in the first leg of the Premier League this season, De Bruyne and his teammates also “slaughtered” the army led by coach Klopp with 5 goals to nil. This is the basis for the Etihad team to have more confidence in a miraculous comeback against the “red brigade”.
In any case, Man City still have to “wait and see”. Who knows, maybe coach Pep Guardiola and his team can do the almost impossible. It is very likely to happen, because in football there is always an element of surprise./.