The Bavarians have been in stunning recent form and
dismantled Werder Bremen 7-0 away from home in their latest outing.
Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola is not taking things
for granted and has stressed the need for concentration in his side's match
with Manchester City on Tuesday evening.
Both sides have already qualified for the knockout stage
ahead of their final Group D fixture, with Bayern currently topping the group
and the Citizens three points behind in second.
The defending champions have registered victories in all
five of their games so far, including a dominant 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium,
as a result City need to better in the Allianz Arena to leapfrog them.
Such a scenario looks unlikely; Bayern have been
irresistible this season - they are unbeaten since July - and are favourites to
retain their Champions League crown.
However Guardiola, twice a Champions League winner as a
manager, is imploring his side to guard against complacency against Manuel
Pellegrini's side.
"Coming second in the group is not really an option
for us. It is something we want to avoid," said the Spaniard at his
pre-match press conference.
"I have a lot of confidence in my team, but I also
know how dangerous Manchester City are.
"They have incredible players - they can get three
or four chances within a few minutes. So we have to really look out for that.
"My players have to really concentrate and be aware
of the situation. We have a very big chance to be first in the group and that
is what we have to aim for."
To help make his point, Guardiola referred to Bayern's
Champions League round of 16 tie last season against current Premier League
leaders Arsenal.
The German side got through the clash only on away goals
after losing 2-0 at home in the second leg, and Guardiola said: "If we
don't play well, City could get one, two, three goals.
"If you look at last season's tie against Arsenal,
Bayern won there 3-1 and then at home they lost 2-0.
"What is important is what happens now. We have a
game ahead of us that will start at 0-0."
Thus far this season Bayern have been in dominant mood.
Europe's outstanding side have dropped a mere four points
in the Bundesliga and romped to a 7-0 away win against Werder Bremen this past
weekend.
Nonetheless, Guardiola still believes that his side can
improve.
"One thing I can't stand is losing possession. That
is something we can always improve on," added the 42-year-old.
"Records are good for the history when you look back
at a club, but we are here for the Champions League.
"Every game counts - you learn from every game.
"You always still have to improve. We won 7-0 at
Bremen, but in the first half they had two or three chances.
"That is something we have to try to avoid.
Improvement is always possible."
Bayern will be boosted for the City tie by the return of
skipper Phillip Lahm, who missed the weekend win with a thigh injury, while
Guardiola is "optimistic" that Mario Gotze will be fit enough to
feature after picking up a knock.
Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger both remain
sidelined however.
One man who will play is goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was
linked this week with a £40 million move to Tuesday night's opponents.
However, when asked about a potential move for the
Germany No. 1, Guardiola admirably responded with just two words: "No
chance."
Culled from Mirror
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