Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola has said that he is very confident that his team can qualify for the UCL next season.
He recently revealed that he believes his side can clinch one of the top five spots to guarantee Champions League football.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Tuesday’s home game against 11th-placed Bournemouth, Pep said that if his players do not do enough to seal UCL qualification, then it would mean that they do not deserve it, and that would be a reality everyone at the club would have to deal with.
He, however, revealed that he feels confident that his players will get it over the line since the club needs just 4 points out of the remaining 6.
“If we are not there [Champions League] then we don’t deserve it and will be in the Europa League. It is what it is.
I am thinking we are going to qualify. My thoughts and the way I think — I think that. We need four points. That is the main target. I am absolutely [confident of qualifying]” he said.
Pep said that everyone at Manchester City is aware of the task at hand, so he expects everybody at the club to give their best to ensure MCFC does not fail to meet yet another minimum target this season.
He maintained that his boys must recover from the FA Cup final defeat vs Crystal Palace asap, stressing that the club has 2 more finals ahead of them starting from tonight.
“We played a really good final, not enough to win it. And we have the last two games, we need four points to next year to be in the Champions League. This is enough, and everyone has to be aware of that.
Newcastle won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League and City won the Community Shield. The other teams didn’t win anything,” Pep said.
On if KDB would be able to feature in his last home game at the Etihad despite playing too many minutes in recent weeks, Guardiola noted that the Belgian midfielder would surely want City to qualify for the UCL, even if he gets benched.
Pep confirmed that he’ll do what’s best for the team when picking his starting lineup for the match against Bournemouth.
“We want to win the game so we can qualify for the Champions League next season – this is what Kevin wants, it couldn’t be otherwise.
I am going to decide what is the best for us to win the game against Bournemouth, that is for sure. Kevin will get what he deserves, and what he deserves is the best moment and the best compliment for his incredible trajectory,” he added.
