Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola spoke to the media before the clash that will face the Bundesliga champions against Real Madrid in the first-leg of the UEFA Champions League. The former Barcelona tactician spoke plenty about its rival and he showed interest in one particular player he wishes to face.

“Hopefully Cristiano Ronaldo can make it to the game”, Pep answered when he was asked about a possible absence of the Portuguese superstar. “We play for the fans and I know he’s a world-class player so if he takes part into the action, the game will be even more attractive for everybody”.

The Spanish tactician also talked about the chance of maintaining his unbeaten record against Los Merengues but he said that numbers aren’t taken into the account at this stage.

“The statistic is with another team, in another time and in a completely different situation”, he said. “All I’m thinking about is to play a good game, to have my players at the best of their abilities and to have them ready. That’s always necessary against a team like Real Madrid”.

Finally, Guardiola also spoke about the different tactical variations that Carlo Ancelotti could use based on the last matches.

“They can either use a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, a lot depends on Ronaldo’s presence on the attack”, Guardiola said. “Isco can replace him, their tactic would change in that case but we need to be prepared for everything that could happen”.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will play the first-leg of the semifinals on Wednesday at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. The referee will be Howard Webb.

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About the author
Juan Pablo Aravena
26-year-old Chilean sports journalist with three years of experience in different websites and platforms. Covering all four major sports for VAVEL USA, international soccer for VAVEL UK and Latin American Soccer for VAVEL LatAm.