City and PSG want the crown but only one will reach final

It all about pushing yourself beyond what you thought was the limit. Any ambitious person will say that. And, in football, there aren’t many more ambitious people than Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino. The two men set themselves a clear goal of winning the biggest club tournament in the world but their teams will face-off in the semi-finals.

Spanish coach Pep Guardiola won the tournament twice while still in charge of his boyhood club Barcelona. It’s astonishing to think that the later of those wins came ten years ago. For all that he’s done over the past decade he’s rightfully earned global recognition as one of best-ever footballl coaches. But his managerial spells with Bayern and Manchester City were tarnished by the lack of Champions League gold medals. It’s something he’ll be looking to change.

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After three successive seasons in which City were knocked out in the quarter-final stage, Guardiola is pleased to see the experience is helping his players mature and push on to make the next step.

"In the Champions League getting to the last 16 is a big success. Going to the quarter-finals is a huge success. Getting to the semi finals, there are no words to express that. In Europe, there are incredible teams and to be able to get there is to be satisfied. We are not mature enough in the Champions League, but the players learned a lot in the last seasons. We are making steps forward for the next years."

Manchester City’s next opponents are Paris Saint-Germain. The French club, just like the Citizens, has never won the big trophy. Last season they fell at the last hurdle, losing to Bayern in the final. Guardiola’s side will face Les Parisiens in what promises to be an exciting double-header contested by two quality teams.

"Of course, we want more. We are going to play PSG, the finalists last year. We know how tough they are. They knocked out Bayern , the best team in the world right now. We will see what happens and how we arrive, but for the club and especially the players, it is a good moment for all of us."

Neymar, Mbappe and Co. will be full of confidence after their dramatic win over Bayern, the trophy holders. The psychological boost to the French champions will be immense, having overcome the team that pipped them to the throne last season. One barrier was broken but there are two more left in front of Mauricio Pochettino and his players.

"I don’t think we’re favourites but that doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that we remain true to the way we want to play, to the things we talked about in the dressing room. We’ve already knocked out Barcelona and Bayern in previous rounds. All the teams left in the competition have fantastic quality but we can match any of them."

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Manchester City, Paris, Real Madrid and Chelsea will all be disappointed if they don’t go all the way. We’ve got five more matches left in the competition and a lot of excitement. Get ready!