Champions League: Guardiola wary of Falcao’s threat

Leonardo Jardim

Monaco manager

Manchester City play host to Monaco in UEFA Champions League Round of 16 play today.It’s the first time these teams have met in competitive play. Both teams are in the hunt to reach their second quarter-finals.
This is the first leg of the two-leg series. They’ll meet again in Monaco on March 15.Monaco got this far after finishing first in Group E, while Manchester City comes in from the second spot in Group C behind FC Barcelona

Pep Guardiola believes Monaco’s free-flowing attacking style is the key ingredient in Radamel Falcao’s late career resurgence ahead of his Manchester City side tackling the Ligue 1 leaders in the Champions League. Leonardo Jardim’s side will head to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday having topped a group featuring Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham, and buoyed by an astonishing 76 goals in 26 top-flight matches domestically. “At Atletico Madrid he did an amazing job before his injuries. Always you need time for the tough injuries he had,” Guardiola said at a news conference to preview the last-16 clash. “The system, the way Monaco play now is perfect for him. They attack inside and cross a lot. “Players like him need that. He is a good professional, a nice guy and I am happy he is back at his level scoring goals.” City have kept four clean sheets in their past five matches but Guardiola knows Falcao and his partners-in-crime Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva, Valere Germain and teenage protege Kylian Mbappe are likely to throw the defensive vulnerabilities that have plagued his side this season.
back under the microscope. “A team that attacks with Lemar, Bernardo Silva and Falcao… they attack with a lot of people, which is why you cannot control the counter attack. They are so, so strong in that area,” he added.
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