• Guardiola said: “I don’t pay any attention to what happened there. The first half we were better, second half they were better.
• Leipzig could be without Xaver Schlager and Christopher Nkunku this week after both picked up injuries in Friday’s 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
Image: HANDOUT
Pep Guardiola believes ‘control’ in the Champions League Round of 16 deciding leg with RB Leipzig is absolutely key.
City face the German outfit on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium.
The winners will go through to the quarter-finals of the competition. As he looks to lock horns with Marco Rose again, Guardiola also spoke of needing to play a ‘solid game’ to progress.
He said: “I don’t pay any attention to what happened there. The first half we were better, second half they were better.
“We are going to play a solid game and adjust a few things to have more control and be better. Always I believe that transition games is a [toss of the] coin. It can go in your favour.
“In a knockout game the game can dictate what you have to do. We will see at the end.”
Leipzig could be without Xaver Schlager and Christopher Nkunku this week after both picked up injuries in Friday’s 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
Schlager was forced off towards the end of the game with ligament problems and underwent an operation in Munich, which could see him out for a significant period. Nkunku suffered a minor thigh strain and is also now set for a spell on the sidelines.
Guardiola says, despite these possible absences, Leipzig will be formidable opponents.
He added: “They are so aggressive in the high pressing. They have incredible build-up from the central defenders and goalkeeper.
“They play eight players inside and two incredible wide full-backs. When you close outside they have players inside. That’s why it’s so difficult to control them.
“Nkunku is exceptional player but they live this season without him and do it really well without him. We will try to find our spaces and players to punish them.
“We have to win the game and to win the game we have to try. I admire a lot what Leipzig have done. When I was in Munich they were in second division so I could not face them. I am a big fan of what they do.”
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne says City won’t underestimate RB Leipzig.
De Bruyne explained how Pep Guardiola’s side are prepared for the task at hand following our experience in Germany.
“The risk of underestimating them is not that big because I think we’ve played them three times in the last two years,” he said.
“We already know what kind of team it is. High energy and quality. An intense team. They have that Red Bull DNA where they play a lot of players in the middle.
“They are very aggressive, they know how to make it a tough game and I think they have a lot of quality.”
De Bruyne is no stranger to the Bundesliga outfit after featuring against them a total of three times throughout his career.
His first meeting with Rose’s side came in a 2-0 2015 DFB-Pokal victory for his former club Wolfsburg at the Red Bull Arena.
At the time, Leipzig were still operating in the German second division, but have since enjoyed a meteoric rise to the Uefa Champions League and consistent top-four Bundesliga finishes.
And the Belgian is all too aware of the quality the German team possess going into the second leg last-16 tie.
He added: “I played against them with Wolfsburg in the cup when they were in the second division and it’s pretty similar. Kimmich and Poulsen were still there.
“Obviously I’ve been away for a long time. They took a step from eight years ago from second division to playing top four and Champions League all the time. You can’t do this without having so much quality. So, I’m aware of what traits they have, but hopefully we’ll manage that tomorrow.”