Guardiola warns Bayern will believe they can pull off miracle against Man City

German giants trail 3-0 from first leg as they prepare for Champions League quarter-final second leg at home

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola at a press conference in Munich, Germany, on 18 April, 2023, on the eve of his side's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich. EPA

Pep Guardiola warned that Bayern Munich will believe they can pull off a miracle against Manchester City in their Champions League quarter-final second leg clash on Wednesday.

The Bundesliga giants trail 3-0 after the first leg at the Etihad Stadium last week but City's manager, who was head coach at Bayern from 2013 to 2016, said that will not affect the Germans' mindset.

"I worked here at Bayern and I know the mentality of this club. It's everywhere, it's in the skin of the club. They believe they can do it," said Guardiola on Tuesday.

The German giants went down to goals from Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland in Manchester last week and now have a mountain to climb in the return at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel said on Tuesday that he believes a strong first-half performance could spark a turnaround but that any talk of a 4-0 or 5-0 win against City, a team that is unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions, was fanciful.

"We cannot talk about a miracle and expect it to just come by talking about it. We have to have a realistic level," Tuchel said.

"To talk about 4-0 or 5-0 is not appropriate and given our performance on Saturday I don't know if everyone believes it 100 per cent.

"What we want to do is win the first half. That is the first goal. Then anything can happen, if we also get that bit of luck that we did not have in the first game. It is a huge mountain to climb. We want to believe but don't want to be dreamers.

"We need to bring the crowd with us so they can create the kind of energy which you get in games where special things happen."

Bayern are struggling for goals, having struck only three times in their last four matches in all competitions. They will need to raise their game by many levels to overturn the deficit.

Tuchel, whose side also slumped to a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to relegation candidates Hoffenheim on Saturday, admitted his players were not in their best form.

"We are not happy and we are working on it," said Tuchel of his team's finishing. "We are missing some confidence, some lightness. You can feel it. We struggle with it. We overthink it.

"We've looked a bit cramped and lacking confidence recently, but in football things can change very quickly."

Bayern can count on the return of striker Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who missed Bayern's last three games with a knee injury but took part in training on Tuesday.

"We'll have to see how his knee reacts to our final session, but if we get the green light he is definitely an option," said Tuchel.

Senegal international Sadio Mane will also return to the squad after he was suspended for a dressing room altercation with teammate Leroy Sane in Manchester last week.

Tuchel insisted that Bayern had put the episode behind them, while City midfielder Gundogan warned that it could even help the German side.

"Sometimes an episode like that can have a positive effect. That's what Bayern will be hoping for," said Gundogan.

The German international also insisted that a Bayern comeback was not off the cards on Wednesday.

"We know from our experience in the past that everything is still possible. This competition is something special, you can get incredible results. We are taking it seriously because we are playing against one of the best teams in Europe," he said.

Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard, meanwhile, pointed to the unlikely Champions League comebacks made by Liverpool in 2019 and Barcelona in 2017 as proof that Bayern still had a chance of reaching the last four.

"We've seen the remontadas (comebacks) there have been in the past, so why not us?" said the French international.

"We are ready, the crowd will be important and we are going to do everything to win this match," he added.