Manchester: On Wednesday, Pep Guardiola admitted he was relieved Manchester City sealed their place in the League Cup final without any injuries in a 1-0 win on Burton's "dangerous" pitch. Guardiola's side had beaten Burton 9-0 in the semi-final first leg earlier in January to effectively guarantee they would return to Wembley 12 months after winning the competition. unavoidably, City took it easier on the third tier minnows this time and Sergio Aguero's first-half strike was the only goal of a low-key second leg.
But, for Guardiola, the tie had been fraught with danger due to the slippery state of the outside on a freezing night at the Pirelli Stadium. he said that "The pitch was so dangerous, so slippery," she further added that "Every game is completely different, we started at 9-0 up but I didn't see a lack of desire. We played seriously, had no injuries. We made a good game, we missed the last pass but the youngsters did well, they had good performances."
On February 24, City will play Tottenham or Chelsea in the final, with Spurs holding a 1-0 lead ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge on Thursday. Guardiola added that "It's important to be in the final, it's not easy to get to back-to-back finals, it doesn't matter which competition,"The English champions will continue their bid to win four major trophies this season when they face Burnley in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday. There was more good news for Guardiola as France defender Benjamin Mendy returned to action after more than two months out with a knee injury.
