City hold 2-1 lead over Real Madrid in Champions League last 16; Guardiola's side draw Juventus or Lyon in quarter-finals
Friday 10 July 2020 15:59, UK
Pep Guardiola says if Manchester City think beyond their Champions League tie with Real Madrid, they will quickly exit the competition.
Guardiola's team are in a strong position in this season's Champions League and hold a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid which was secured before the coronavirus-enforced suspension of football.
Friday's draw for the quarter-final handed them a tie against the winners of the Lyon-Juventus contest and a potential return to Manchester for Cristiano Ronaldo, but Guardiola was not interested in discussing such scenarios.
"In this organisation there is no one individual who knows Real Madrid better than me," he said. "They are the dominant team in the Champions League and we have to focus on them.
"We think about Real Madrid. We think about Real Madrid. If we think about the next step when we are playing against the king of this competition, they will put us out."
City are second in the Premier League and enjoy the comfort of an 11-point gap to the team in fifth place, their rivals Manchester United.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision regarding the club's appeal against a European ban is expected on Monday but while Guardiola is confident it will be overturned, he knows the team still has some work to do on the pitch to secure Champions League qualification for next season.
"When we came back to play, our target was to qualify for the Champions League for next season," he said. "We have dropped points in a couple of games and we played well in those games but we know the business is about results.
"We have some difficult games left to play but we have to make sure we are in the Champions League again next season."
