The coach of the current champions of Europe, Pep Guardiola, spoke to the media before the duel against Young Boys in the 3rd round of the group stage of the Champions League.
Manchester City will visit Bern at the ‘Wankdorf ‘ stadium. City is the leader in this group with maximum performance in the first two matches, but manager Pep Guardiola is more concerned about something else, the field on which they will play, given that the surface is artificial.
“It is what it is. If UEFA allows matches to be played on that field, it is because it is in good condition. That’s one of the reasons we never train on the sidelines, but this is an exception. That’s why we travel in the morning, so that the players can feel how the ball goes, how to move left, right, backward, forward. We will test the field and the players will immediately know what they are up to.” Guardiola said.
Asked if he was afraid of injury because of such a pitch, he said he didn’t know what to say.
“I don’t know, I hope they won’t be on both sides. You never know though. We’re not used to that. Anyone who plays on this field is not used to it. It corresponds to the Swiss League, in the Champions League the incoming teams have to adapt. We won’t be the first to be in that situation. We have to use it somehow, but grass is definitely better.” the City manager is clear.
He also explained why it is better to play on grass.
“It’s better because 99.9 percent of the teams that are at the highest level play on grass, otherwise FIFA and UEFA would decide to play on artificial grass. It’s common sense.” Guardiola concluded.
