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Updated November 2nd, 2021 at 22:10 IST

Pep Guardiola downplays Manchester derby; says Club Brugge UCL clash is 'more important'

Ahead of the UCL clash, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola downplayed the Manchester derby despite the longstanding heated rivalry between the two sides.

Reported by: Vidit Dhawan
Pep Guardiola
Image: AP | Image:self
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Manchester City are set to face Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, with the much-awaited Manchester derby set to take place on the weekend. The Manchester City vs Club Brugge game is scheduled to commence live on November 4 at 1:30 AM IST.

Ahead of the UCL clash, City boss Pep Guardiola downplayed the Manchester derby despite the longstanding heated rivalry between the two sides. He insisted that the Club Brugge clash is more important because the UCL is a knockout tournament and has much fewer games as compared to the league.

Manchester City vs Club Brugge: Pep Guardiola calls match crucial

While speaking at his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola said, "I think this game is much more important than the United game. This gives us an incredible chance to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. In the Premier League, there are many games. In the Champions League just six, and there are not many left. Games three and four are the most important."

The City boss added, "I'm pretty sure they will adjust things to punish us. We have to adjust to get better. It will be a completely different game." Pep expects the return leg to be a difficult game even though his side thrashed the Belgian outfit 5-1 in the first leg.

Pep Guardiola downplays Manchester derby

Premier League fans would be astonished to hear Pep's comments about the Club Brugge clash being a more important game than the Manchester derby, considering the heated rivalry between the two Manchester teams. During the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United have taken immense pride in keeping their noisy neighbours quiet as the Etihad outfit just won one title in this time. 

However, over the past decade, things seemed to have turned the other way around as the Citizens have enjoyed a greater record in terms of success. During Ferguson's managerial reign, United won a record 13 Premier League titles. However, over the past decade, Manchester City have won 5 English top-flight titles in comparison to Manchester United's two.

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Published November 2nd, 2021 at 22:10 IST

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