Pep Guardiola has said that he will keep his tactics simple and ask his Manchester City players to be themselves as they look to get past Real Madrid and reach a second UEFA Champions League final.
City welcome Real to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening after a first-leg 1-1 draw in Spain.
Guardiola, who has failed to progress from the semi-final stages of the competition seven times, including against the same opponents last season, said he would not be looking to try a new tactic to beat the 10-times champions.
"There are many things you cannot control but my only wish for my players is to be ourselves," Guardiola said. "I cannot tell you here [my tactics].
"It's nothing special, I'm not overthinking. Don't worry, guys! Nothing differently that we have done in the past."
Guardiola said all of his players were fit apart from Nathan Ake, and admits getting past Real to face Inter Milan in Istanbul on 10 June will not be easy.
"We have to perform well," Guardiola told the club’s official website. "In the mind and heart of the players they have to make an incredible performance to beat Madrid or it’ll be so difficult."
Walker: A big week
Kyle Walker sees the match as being part of a big week that could include claiming the Premier League title at the weekend.
An 11-match winning run combined with a drop in form for title rivals Arsenal means that a Gunners defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday would crown City champions.
Whatever happens at the City Ground, a win at home to Chelsea on Sunday would be enough for Man City to lift the Premier League Trophy for a fifth time in six seasons.
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“It’s big to every one of us in that dressing room, we know the goal at the end of it,” Walker told the City website.
“A massive week for the club and we are in a good situation compared to two months ago in the Premier League.
“It’s 1-1 and we are at the Etihad where we’ve been more than confident in the UEFA Champions League to get a result. Hopefully, we do that again.”
Walker still feels the hurt of losing to Chelsea in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final and previous occasions when City have fallen short, such as the 2018/19 quarter-finals at home to Tottenham Hotspur, who claimed victory after Raheem Sterling had a late winner overturned by VAR.
“I’d have liked to do it when we played Chelsea, but it was a learning curve,” he said. "This group have been together for a few years and learned to overcome situations, in winning and losing positions.
“I remember against Tottenham in 2019 when we thought Raheem Sterling had scored. We’ve gone through rough and good moments but hopefully this is the icing on the cake to put our name in the history books and put this club on the UCL map.”
