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PEP'S 11-MAN PLEA

Manchester City vs Barcelona: Pep Guardiola warns hothead midfielder Nolito to keep it cool against Barcelona

Says Man City boss:  'It's difficult to beat Barcelona when it is 11 against 11, but 10 against 11 is almost impossible'

PEP GUARDIOLA has told Manuel Nolito he must improve his discipline.

Nolito received a red card against Bournemouth and was shown yellow in Saturday's 4-0 victory at West Bromwich.

Pep Guardiola has warned Nolito about his discipl;ine
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Pep Guardiola has warned Nolito about his disciplineCredit: Getty Images

Guardiola knows he must keep 10 men on the pitch if City are to have any chance of beating Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League showdown at The Etihad.


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The Blues boss called the clash with the Catalans "a final'"and made a pointed reference to Nolito, who was stupidly thrust his head at WBA's Craig Dawson.

City have now suffered four red cards in their five meetings with Barca, and each time the dismissal has proved highly significant.

They were losing 1-0 at the Nou Camp a fortnight ago when keeper Claudio Bravo was sent off for deliberate handball after making an error outside his box and they ended up being thrashed 4-0.

Said Guardiola: "When I talk about having to learn, these are the kind of things I mean.

Nolito was sent off against Bournemouth
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Nolito was sent off against BournemouthCredit: EPA
Nolito right) has been told to make sure he stays on the field
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Nolito (right) has been told to make sure he stays on the field against Barcelona in City's Champions League showdownCredit: Reuters
Claudio Bravo handled outside his area and was red carded at Barcelona
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Claudio Bravo handled outside his area and was red carded at BarcelonaCredit: Reuters

“It's always difficult to win Champions League games, and it's difficult to beat Barcelona when it is 11 against 11, but 10 against 11 is almost impossible.

“Manuel knows that and we have to improve. At times it is unfair, and some times it is a mistake – last time it was a mistake – but we have to improve on that.

“But at this level it is impossible to achieve the target. But this is football, and it is a game of mistakes and sometimes you have to live the situations to improve on that. But I agree.”

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