Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City players are relishing the “dead or alive” stage of the season.
Treble winners City remain on course for an historic repeat of last season's heroics – with Real Madrid up next in Wednesday's decisive Champions League quarter-final return leg.
Guardiola believes the jeopardy and pressure of not being able to lose a game brings out the best in his players, which is why he is backing them to push all the way for glory on three fronts again.
“They like to play under pressure,” said Guardiola. “They like it when you are dead or alive. That doesn’t mean we're going to do it, but I'm pretty sure we will be there until the end, because I know them.
“I see their faces before, in the meetings before games, and how they prepare. Does that mean we’ll be Premier League champions? No, no. I'm not saying that. But we will compete, that's for sure.
“What we've done this season, we live for that. Playing for something - the big trophies - and still we're there, again. It's so good.”
Guardiola and his players have been here before, knowing they cannot afford a single slip-up if they want to successfully defend last season's trophies and underline their peerless status.
With Arsenal and Liverpool pushing all the way in the title race, 14-time winners Real up next at the Etihad and Chelsea in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, there is no margin for error.
“The problem is that we have to travel in October and November,” said Guardiola. “You think ‘this is a long, long season’ and that's the moment when you try to do it, but you're not completely focused.
“We spoke about that. With the contenders we have in Arsenal and Liverpool, we cannot draw many games. That's why we are still there. The only biggest
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