Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on fans to treat their Premier League match against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday as a “final” as his side chase qualification for next season’s Champions League.
City, who beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday, sit fourth in the standings with 58 points from 33 matches, one ahead of seventh-placed Villa. The top five teams in the table qualify for the Champions League.
“It’s a final and we need our people, because I think our people want the Champions League next season again,” Guardiola told reporters.
“Hopefully they 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.”
Villa claimed a 2-1 victory when the sides last met in December and Guardiola warned that Tuesday’s fixture would not be easy, pointing to the Midlands club’s performance in their 5-4 aggregate defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“(Villa) is a contender to qualify for the Champions League, and both games they play against my friend Luis Enrique and PSG, wow I was really impressed,” Guardiola said.
“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…”
The Spaniard also heaped praise on Nico O’Reilly while urging the 20-year-old midfielder to improve both technically and physically.
O’Reilly, who has been playing out of position at left-back in recent weeks, impressed in the win over Everton and scored the opening goal.
“He has to see if he can play every three days, like for example, Bernardo (Silva) has proven, or Kevin (De Bruyne) has proven, or Ruben (Dias) has proven,” Guardiola said.
“I don’t know if these young players are able to play three games a week for months and months and months. I admire that he’s playing a position he’s never played before, he’s learning.
“Of course he has to improve (defensively) but with the ball he’s good… He has a good shot, and quality in small spaces, and he’s helping us.”
