‘They have more Champions Leagues than us!’: Pep Guardiola gives his Man City stars a reality check as he warns them not to take Nottingham Forest lightly when they meet this weekend
- Pep Guardiola insisted his side have to be their best against Nottingham Forest
- Manchester City boss invoked Forest’s two European Cup wins in the process
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
Pep Guardiola refused to downplay the test that Nottingham Forest will provide Man City this weekend, invoking the club’s storied history in Europe in the process.
Speaking following City’s come-from-behind victory over Serbian side Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday, Guardiola admitted his side will need to be at their best when they play host to Forest on Saturday.
‘Now we have Nottingham Forest – 2x Champions League winners. They have won one more than us. It is the truth, I’m not joking’
Forest were just the fourth British team to lift the famous trophy when Brian Clough’s side defeated Malmo in 1979 thanks to first-half goal from the first British £1m signing Trevor Francis.
After qualifying as champions, the club repeated the feat the following year, again triumphing by a single goal as John Robertson netted to defeat a Hamburg side featuring Kevin Keegan at the Bernabeu.
Pep Guardiola warned his team not to underestimate Nottingham Forest this weekend
The Man City boss invoked Forest’s European success during Brian Clough’s time at the club
Forest became only the second British team ever to win back to back European Cups with their triumph in 1980
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Forest’s adventures on the continent continued during this period, and Clough’s side also reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup in the 1983-84 season, defeating the likes of PSV and Celtic before being defeated 3-2 on aggregate by Anderlecht.
However, Clough’s retirement coincided with a decline in the club’s fortunes throughout the 1990s, with fans enduring a 23-year wait for a return to top flight football between 1999 and 2022.
After bringing in an influx of new players following their return to the Premier League, the club struggled early last season, with Cooper’s side bottom of the Premier League after 15 games with just two wins.
Though they eventually recovered from their stumbling start, a second poor spell later in the season looked set to condemn Forest back to the Championship before a run of just one defeat from their final six secured their Premier League survival.
Tricky Trees have enjoyed a much stronger start to the current season however, and they are currently sit eighth with two wins and a draw from their first five games.
City meanwhile have picked up right where they left off in their treble-winning campaign, and are the only Premier League side to have maintained their perfect record this season.
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
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