Chelsea Defeating Manchester City Have No Bearing On Champions League Final – Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola is sure Manchester City’s second loss to Chelsea in three weeks will have no bearing when the sides meet in the Champions League final at the end of the month.

City passed up the chance to seal their third Premier League title under Guardiola on Saturday as Sergio Aguero missed a penalty before Chelsea came from behind to win 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea were also the victors when the teams met at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final last month.

As such, it could hardly be said that either game was a dress rehearsal for the Champions league final on May 29.

“I’m pretty sure for the final of the Champions League we’ll be ready to compete and play the best game we possibly can,” Guardiola said.

“Now the FA Cup and Carabao Cup are over, we have to focus on winning the Premier League. We still have to get the points – when we get the points, we will be champions.

“Until then, the champions are Liverpool. Still we are not. Since one or two months ago, people said it was already done. No, we still had to go to Leicester and win away, Aston Villa and win away, Crystal Palace and win away, so you have to do what you have to do, and we did it.

“So we have the position that we have and we’re going to try, in the next three games that we have, to win the Premier League and after, it depends on the day it happens, we’re going to prepare for the Champions League final.”

Asked if pressure could get to his side in such a scenario, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. We’re going [aiming] to win at Newcastle like we have done in all the seasons and all the games.

“I don’t know what the pressures are, we played to win the game, we’re going to Newcastle to win the game and, if not, after we’re going to try to win the game at Brighton. This is what we’re going to try to do.

“It’s still not over, you have to win the games and we’re going to try to do it in the next game against Newcastle. If this is pressure to win the title, this is the pressure I want, and we need this type of pressure to be a top side, a top squad.

“[Against Chelsea] we did our best to win, we had the chances, unfortunately it could not be possible for different reasons, and we’re going to prepare now, mentally, with one or two days off and after we’re going to focus, analyse Newcastle and try to win the game.”