Radamel Falcao explains red-hot AS Monaco form

Radamel Falcao, who scored twice at City, will have a late fitness test on a hip on Wednesday.

The Spaniard admitted in the lead up to the weekend’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-final however, that a first season in charge without silverware would be considered a failure.

Guardiola added: “Of course we start game not with 0-0, but with 5-3”.

“When you play a team that has scored 123 goals and you think to defend, then you kill yourself”. A quick goal on the counter, which Monaco have been so good at this season, could put the fear into City that costs them their place in the next round.

Manchester City are close to full strength for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Monaco. I am here to help Manchester City reach the next round.

Their Champions League challenge began in the third qualifying round – a round before City – last July.

Quite simply, there is no outstanding team in this season’s Champions League and City, as unreliable as they are defensively, possess the firepower to beat any rival.

As such, there have been two days of intensive work on defending and recent performances might even suggest Guardiola’s team are finally getting to grips with what he wants.

With Monaco likely to come racing out of the blocks in a manner reminiscent of Barcelona against PSG last week, we could be in for excitement and scoring chances from the start.

City need to be careful in the second leg. Monaco may have been defensively brittle at the Etihad in the first encounter, although in the main they’ve got the balance right in Ligue 1 for much of the campaign.

Guardiola led Barcelona to two Champions League triumphs in 2009 and 2011 and reached the semi-finals three times with Bayern Munich and he called on his City side to keep their focus if they are to reach the last eight this year.

Pep Guardiola: “The best way [to defend] is score goals. I want to be in the quarter-finals, it would be a dream for me”. “I think that’s the best way to go through to the next round of the Champions League”.

Manager Guardiola admitted after the first leg his side were unlikely to be able to contain Monaco at Stade Louis II and he maintains attack will be their best form of defence. “So, to qualify I think we will need to score at least three goals”. The record is now held by Louis van Gaal who won 61, drew 22 and lost 17 of his first 100 games in Europe.