Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning to his Manchester City squad ahead of their Champions League second leg against Real Madrid, telling any player who does not believe they can overturn a 3-0 deficit to 'stay at home'. The Premier League side trail the Spanish giants after a disappointing first leg at the Bernabeu, where Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick.
Speaking after the weekend's draw with West Ham United, Guardiola made his expectations clear. 'If they don't believe, it's a problem. They are adults. They have good salaries. If they don't believe in that in the Champions League, go home, stay home,' he said. 'We have to try. What do we have to lose? Madrid never came back in history? I don't know how many - 50 Champions League games, they never came back from 3-0? Of course, it's a tough result. But we have to try, for respect for the people, for fans, for our job.'
Midfielder Rodri, who has been linked with a move to Madrid, also expressed confidence that the tie can be turned around. 'Absolutely (we can turn the tie around against Real Madrid). We have to be more clinical and take a step forward in that regard, yes,' he said. 'I think we have everything else: the style of play, the ability to create chances... It's true that we couldn't do it the other day, but we have to lift the team, because we have an important match on Tuesday.'
Rodri added: 'We learned many things from the first leg, but the Champions League is a two-legged affair. There's still the second leg. We need to analyze what we did wrong, adjust it, and above all, put the ball in the net.' The second leg takes place at the Etihad Stadium, with City needing a historic comeback to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Meanwhile, City's Premier League title challenge is also under pressure, as they sit nine points behind leaders Arsenal after their draw with West Ham.
