Guardiola: Now we must show how strong we are | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has called on his players to show their mettle in Tuesday’s huge Premier League clash with Bournemouth.

City went down 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final this weekend but there’s no time to ruminate and agonise on the defeat, with what Guardiola calls a ‘massive, important’ game firmly on the horizon.

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The Blues were third before this weekend but victories for Aston Villa over Tottenham and Chelsea over Manchester United has seen Guardiola’s men slip to sixth in the table.

However, victory over the Cherries in the 20:00 (UK) midweek Etihad encounter - our game in hand - would catapult us back up into that third spot with just one match remaining.

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The boss wants his players to shake off the disappointment of Saturday’s result at Wembley and demonstrate their class and courage in this vital clash on home soil ahead of the season finale on Sunday against Fulham.

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“We have to come back,” the boss said ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

“We have to live it. It’s better to play against Bournemouth having won the FA Cup because winning helps winning but now we have to prove how strong we are with our people.

“When we play bad I am incredibly honest and I say we don’t deserve it. It happened last season against United, we didn’t play good, but this year I don’t have that feeling.

“I had the feeling that we made a really good game.

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“For Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, it’s important for all of us to be there [in the Champions League]. It’s massive.

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“But now it’s not the time to talk to the players much. We will recover and then prepare for the game.

“We will prepare and I want to see how the players recover and then go there. We have to recover quick.”