Manchester City are in Istanbul ready to deal with their Champions League obsession and complete an historic Treble on Saturday.
Kevin De Bruyne claimed last night that finally lifting Europe’s biggest prize is both a dream and an obsession for the club, with Pep Guardiola believing his players are primed to make history.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter stand in City’s way over in Turkey as Guardiola’s side look to go one better than two years ago, when they were beaten finalists.
‘To achieve things you have to have the correct portion of obsession and desire,’ Guardiola said. ‘Obsession is a positive word. I have the feeling that we are ready. It’s absolutely a dream.
‘We know how important it is. You have to be stable in finals. Inter are bigger than us in terms of history but what’s important is do the best performance possible and that can make the difference.’
De Bruyne was asked whether the longing to prevail in the Champions League could be described as ‘a dream or an obsession,’ and replied: ‘Maybe both. I’ve been here a long time. For me it’s been an incredible, the eight years.
‘But we haven’t won this competition. That’s the only little reminder people can give us. We’ve been consistent but we need to find a way of winning the first one. If we do, it’ll be immense for the players and the club. We’ve got a chance to close that [chapter] if we are good enough.’
Already Premier League and FA Cup winners, City will also emulate Manchester United’s famous Treble team of 1999 and write themselves into the record books.
They are overwhelming favourites to lift the title but defender Ruben Dias warned against complacency. ‘People can say whatever they want but there are no favourites in this game,’ he said.
‘When the decision [time] comes it’s the sweet spot for us. You can see the character of the team in these stages, whether they want to move forward or start hiding.
‘We’ve shown up every time and Saturday will be no different. We love the pressure.’
City fans routinely jeer the Champions League anthem but Guardiola echoed Ilkay Gundogan’s calls for the travelling support to enjoy the occasion.
‘It’s a day to celebrate,’ Guardiola said. ‘Celebrate being here. What’s happened in the past has happened in the past. This is an incredible competition. We’re here to support what UEFA are doing and we are not going to boo any more. Try to have fun.’