Real Madrid and Manchester City square off at the Santiago Bernabeu to begin the Champions League semifinal.
Claims that the residents of Manchester City are in Madrid seeking retribution have been debunked by manager Pep Guardiola. .
The 2023 UEFA Champions League semifinal will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu and feature Guardiola’s City and Real Madrid.
Both teams met in the same stage of the competition last season, and their matchup this year is a rematch of that matchup. .
Los Blancos defeated City in a thrilling second leg to reverse a 4-3 loss from the first leg and win their 14th championship. .
This setback has fueled rumors that City will play the defending champions on Tuesday with vengeance on their minds.
Guardiola dismisses talk of retaliation.
There are rumors that City will seek retribution against the holders before the match on Tuesday night as a result of what transpired during the same stage of the competition last year.
His manager, a former manager of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, quickly responded by saying that his team is in Madrid to get a good result and tossing that suggestion to the wind.
“It would be a huge mistake to think we are here for revenge, we are not,” Guardiola said according to Flash score.
“We must face it as another opportunity (to reach the final),” Guardiola told a news conference.
“We are here to get a good result because everything will be decided in Manchester, not here.”
On what happened the last time both teams clashed in the Champions League, Pep added;
“What happened last season happened, period. This is another opportunity, nothing more. We come with the mentality of trying again, knowing that to achieve it, we have to be better.
The best lesson we can take from last season is that we are not coming here for revenge, but for a good result. And to have the final open for Manchester.”
