Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City are under no illusions about the threat Borussia Monchengladbach would raise in their Champions League Last 16 clash.
Monchengladbach finished second in what looked to be a daunting Group B, containing 13-time winners Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the knockout stages.
The German outfit defeated Bundesliga giants; Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in their League matches, defeating German defending Champions (Bayern Munich) 3-2 and Dortmund 4-2 all in their home.
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And Man City head coach, who previously managed in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, knows Monchengladbach will push City to their limits in Budapest for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I respect German teams in the competition because I know how strong they are,” the City boss said of Monchengladbach in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday evening’s tie.
“German teams are always so dangerous when the game is open. They arrive with a lot of players in the box.
“We have to be focused, they are in the Champions League. They make good buildup, short passes and are attractive. They are fast and make good transitions.
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“In the last 16 all the teams deserve respect and hopefully we can get respect too.”
“We have to be focused for 90 minutes like we do in the Premier League.
“The only difference is the players don’t know Monchengladbach players that well, so we have to introduce them, we need to know them a little better.
“(But) we prepare like we have in the last months.”
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