Pep Guardiola exclusive: Manchester City boss says team 'have to do better' in second leg against Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola is demanding an improvement from his Manchester City players, if they want to book a place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

The Citizens' last-eight tie against Real Madrid is finely poised, after a late strike from Federico Valverde ensured the first leg at the Bernabeu finished 3-3.

That was the first time the English club had conceded three in one game since a thrilling draw with Tottenham in the Premier League before Christmas.

The return leg takes place live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Wednesday, April 17.

And Guardiola exclusively told TNT Sports that they will have to defend more resolutely to have any chance of progressing.

"Honestly, we will have to do better than in Madrid if we want to go through," he said.

"We were fantastic, 3-3 is an incredible result, the guys gave everything, but we have to adjust something that was not as good as we should do. But at home, we feel comfortable in trying to adjust it."

City are defending champions in the tournament, having beaten Inter Milan 1-0 in the final in Turkey last year.

They knocked Madrid out en route to lifting the European Cup last season, and should they progress in this tie, it would be the fourth time in a row they have reached the last four of the Champions League.

"The excitement is huge," Guardiola continued. "I have a tension; nervous and happiness and all the mix of feelings I have right now.

"I have now prepared the last training before the game and with our people, we are safe.

"We will be, I think, sold out and I just ask them [the fans], in the bad moments, support us. Make some noise. Be there all the time until the end.

"The guys [players] deserve it. The chance to do it four times in a row, that proves that what they have done for this club. They deserve the support unconditionally."

Los Blancos are actually winless in their previous five visits to the Etihad Stadium, with their three defeats including a harrowing 4-0 battering last season.

They arrive in Manchester in form though, beating Mallorca 1-0 win at the weekend to ensure they are eight points clear at the top of La Liga.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti is also well known to Guardiola, with the pair having locked horns on 11 previous occasions.

It is the City boss who has come out on top in six of those clashes, losing just three times, but he still holds the Real boss in the highest of regard.

"Look at his career," he added. "He's won everywhere. I think he has an incredible sense of what they have to do, what is going to happen.

"Otherwise, you cannot stay for a long, long, long time, like being in Italy, Spain, England and France. He's been a success everywhere.

"It's impossible to have a sense of the quality, the awareness of the game, the intuition. Impossible. He's older than me and always I learn from the managers.

"Not just with Carlo. We played the last game against Luton with Rob [Edwards] and I learn.

"So, when people say 'how do you feel now, since you arrive?' I feel better. I'm a better manager, just because I've been there many times."

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