Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola is confident his side can overturn a 3-1 first leg deficit in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal when they face FC Porto at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday in the second leg.
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Guardiola has come under intense pressure over the past week as he had a public fallout with Bayern’s long-term and widely esteemed team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, as the medical department was apparently blamed for the 3-1 defeat at the Estadio do Dragao last Wednesday and Muller-Wohlfahrt has since walked away from Bayern.
Mehdi Benatia, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Javi Martinez and David Alaba were all missing for the defeat and Guardiola only had 14 fit first-team players to choose from. Bayern need at least a 2-0 win at home to reach the semifinals of the UCL and although it’s going to a superhuman effort, the former Barcelona boss is positive his side can pull it off.
“We have to take more risks after the first-leg result, but I am happy to be here in this stage of the competition,” Guardiola said. “I know it won’t be easy, but I am 100 per cent optimistic that we’ll do it.”
Even if Bayern don’t manage to storm to a big second leg victory and get past Porto, it has still been a stellar second season for Guardiola as he is close to guiding his team to a second-straight Bundesliga and German Cup double. However the Spaniard knows that the fans, and his bosses, demand success in Europe as he eyes a treble of trophies.
“We are just a few steps away (from winning) the German Cup and the German league, if we win on Saturday against Berlin, we’ll be champions,” Guardiola added. “That impresses me when I see how many problems we have had. But I know which club I am at, it isn’t enough to win the Bundesliga and the cup. Only a treble is enough for a club like Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern, but I am proud to be here with these players.”