Guardiola: Some of my favourite memories are in the FA Cup | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has said he’ll take memories of FA Cup clashes with him long after he leaves English football.

Men's Team

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The Catalan has won the historic competition twice in nine years at City and reached at least the semi-finals in all but one campaign.

And ahead of Saturday’s fourth round visit of Salford City, Guardiola was asked in Friday’s press conference on the importance of the FA Cup to English football.

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The boss lit up, reflecting on previous ties that have seen City travel to sides that play their league football several tiers below the Premier League.

“I prefer to play at home but one of the most enjoyable memories that I will have from this country is when I play FA Cup away at League One or Two clubs,” he said.

“We never miss that. Always it was incredible. When you arrive at the stadium and all the fans sing “who are you?”.

“This kind of vibe with the long balls will be one of the memories I will take for the rest of my life.

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“I love the FA Cup, it was a part of my life when I was a boy. I prefer to play at home but away games in the FA Cup are top.

“I think that after 10 years, I don’t like a few things in this country but there are a lot of things I love and this is one.

“This country they respect the traditions and no other country can do that. This combination of new things and respect for the old things, I love the UK for that.”

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After Saturday’s clash with our League Two neighbours, City will have a full week before our next match.

Given we’re still in four competitions, that’s a rare luxury for Guardiola’s side.

The boss has promised his players and staff three days off after the game, highlighting the importance of staying fresh ahead of what will be an intense final few months of the season.

“When we have four days between games and have a lot of injuries, it’s unsustainable. Last year was a good example of that,” he said.

“It’s important to be fresh in your mind. Whenever you can give a day off, give it. The schedule is so tight. People can travel with their families and be in a different environment.

“Then we will prepare Newcastle game. That doesn’t mean it will be good, maybe we lose the vibe we have right now but everybody needs it.

“Staff too to clear the minds. It has been so, so demanding. Always it is, especially with a lot of injuries that we had in November and December.

“That’s why we were so happy to be in the first eight and have this two weeks where we can breathe a little better.”

See City in the FA Cup!

There’s no membership needed to get up to four tickets per person for our FA Cup fourth round clash with neighbours Salford City*.

Priced from £17.50 for adults and £7.50 for children, it’s a fun day out for all the family on Saturday 14 February.

Hospitality for this game starts from just £60 with a wide range of options to suit every budget!

*Tickets are on sale to all fans who have purchased at least one home fixture. You must have had an active supporter number before Sunday 11 January and the previous purchase number excludes previous fixtures v Salford.

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