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Pep Guardiola drew comparisons with Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan as he defended Manchester City’s Champions League record.
City host Bayern Munich in their quarter-final first leg on Tuesday as they look to win the competition for the first time.
But Guardiola urged patience, highlighting that sporting greats Nicklaus and Jordan lost more often than they won.
“All games are so difficult,” he said.
“Yesterday, it was the Masters. How many Masters has Jack Nicklaus played or majors has he played in his career, in 30-40 years as a golfer? How many wins out of 164? Eighteen wins.
“Wow. He loses more than he wins. That is sport. In football, in golf, in basketball.
“Michael Jordan, the best athlete for me in basketball, won six NBA titles out of 15 years. He loses more than he wins.
“What is important is to be here, compete well, do our best. No more than that.”
Guardiola managed Bayern from 2013 until 2016, winning the Bundesliga three times in a row, although Champions League success in Germany eluded him.
But the 52-year-old says the expectation at Bayern is always to be going for the win and is not expecting a cautious approach from them at the Etihad Stadium.
“From my experience when I was there, I had the feeling it doesn’t matter where you play, you have to be Bayern Munich and you have to try to win,” he added.
“If they defend maybe more than usual it’s because we’re doing well. But if we are not doing well we are going to defend more than usual.”
Tuesday’s game sees Guardiola come up against former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
The German was in charge of the Blues when they beat City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final.
Guardiola added: “I was sad but I congratulated him and Chelsea for the victory. It happened.
“I reviewed the game a month ago and it was not as bad as I thought. It was a tight game, like they always have been against Chelsea in this period.
“We forget it and try again.”
