Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is eager to “close a little circle” by adding the Club World Cup to the club’s trophy collection.
After achieving a historic Treble last season, winning the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup, City is in Saudi Arabia for the global competition.
The team faces Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final in Jeddah on Tuesday, with the aim of reaching the final on Friday, and City is considered the overwhelming favorites for the tournament.
Guardiola said: “It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s an honour.
“It’s the first time Man City are here. That shows how difficult it is. We won’t take it for granted. We take it as a privilege.
“Of course, we want to win it. It is a trophy we don’t have. We want to close a little circle, that we have won all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.
“I don’t know if we’ll have another chance. Maybe it is a once in a lifetime. It is difficult to be here.
“I think the players know it and we are going to try to perform well tomorrow.”
Manchester City’s recent form has been inconsistent, with just one win in their last six Premier League games. Their latest disappointing result occurred on Saturday when they conceded two late goals, resulting in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.
This outcome left them five points behind league leaders Arsenal. Despite the concerns about results, manager Pep Guardiola expressed that he is not worried about the team’s performances.
He said: “We would prefer better results but, except the Aston Villa game, our performances were excellent.
“We have to improve how we finish our games, be more aware of what we have to do in certain moments but hopefully we can maintain our level of passion and desire to play at a high level with and without the ball against Urawa.”