Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City fans to get noisy as the club prepare for a "final" against Aston Villa.

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• City preparing for huge clash
• Both clubs vying for Champions League qualification
• Villa are one point behind City

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Guardiola has called on City fans to get behind the team as they prepare to face Villa in a vital Champions League six-pointer. The two sides are only separated by a point, with Villa in seventh and City in fourth. The top five teams qualify for Europe's elite club competition.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guardiola has been impressed with Villa's European exploits this season, with the club going mightily close to knocking PSG out of the tournament. They won 3-2 in the second leg at Villa Park but were eliminated, as they lost 5-4 on aggregate overall. As a result, the City boss has called on the fans to throw their support behind the team.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  The City boss told reporters: “Every point, every game counts. Hopefully [our people] can help us [from] minute one. Don’t wait. Sometimes we are sloppy, sometimes we are not playing well but it’s now we need them – we need them desperately, to support us, to make noise and be there all the time, because it’s a final, absolutely it’s a final for us.”

  He added: “[Villa] is a contender to qualify for the Champions League, and both games they play against PSG, wow I was really impressed.

  “They can play low block or not, but when they decide to go, with the weapons they have, the speed they have, the set pieces, and the way they organise …”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  City and Villa go head-to-head on Tuesday. Guardiola's side then play Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham before the end of the campaign. Villa, by comparison, face Fulham, Bournemouth, Tottenham, and Manchester United.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News