Unai Emery assesses Pep Guardiola at the Etihad

In the three-way fight to win the 2023-24 Premier, the calendar of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City (rival of real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League) in the latter part of the tournament appears more favorable than Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. But this Wednesday the ‘citizens’ got a complicated visitor: the Unai Emery’s Aston Villa4th, 8 points behind the leader Liverpool. He city3rd, to 3. The Arsenal He is 2 away from the ‘reds’.

Unai Emery paths crossed again Guardiolawhich he won on December 6 at Villa Park for the first time in his career (1-0, goal from Leon Bailey). Total Unai Emery and Pep Guardiola They have met 14 times and the coach of city have won 9 of them, with 4 draws and only one win for the current coach of Aston Villa.

Manchester City-Aston Villa

Etihad Stadium, 21.15 (DAZN)

Manchester City: Ortega Lewis, Ruben Dias, Akanji, Guardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Doku, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
coaches: Pep Guardiola
Aston Villa: Emiliano Martínez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Douglas Luiz, Tielemans, Rogers; Diaby and John Duran
coaches: Unai Emery
Referee: Darren England

Unai Emery He said this Tuesday in front of the media that Guardiola “He is the best coach in the world, he gave many technicians a new way of working” and pep He noted about the defeat suffered against the ‘villains’: “This is the only game we deserve to lose. He Emery’s Aston Villa it is great. It’s not a surprise and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s successful.

Guardiola confirmed, regarding today’s meeting, that they continue to recover Kyle Walker (injured against Brazil), Ederson (he suffered a muscle problem on March 10) and Nathan Ake (He requested a change against Arsenal due to discomfort in his soleus muscle). They are all doubts for the game against him Real Madrid (09/04).

The good news for Guardiola is that John Stones has overcome the discomfort that prevented him from playing against Arsenal and is ready to play today. Emery cannot count on anything less than Ollie Watkins (his top scorer in the Premier, with 16 goals, just 2 to Erling Haaland’s 18) or Jacob Ramsey.

SA Guardiola They asked him about the conversation that, obviously angry, he had on Sunday Jack Grealish moments after a 0-0 match Arsenal. A conversation where pep He was heavily criticized, as many commentators understood that these types of conversations should be kept in the privacy of the locker room.

Pep Guardiola He answered ironically about the topic of conversation Oily: “I do it for the cameras, it’s my personal ego. I need the attention of the cameras to sleep with incredible pleasure. “I always try to criticize the players and make them understand how bad they are.”