Pep Guardiola wants to hear a packed Etihad Stadium in full voice as Manchester City bid to turn around their Champions League quarter-final against Tottenham.
City trail 1-0 on aggregate heading into Wednesday’s second leg at Eastlands after suffering defeat in London last week.
Guardiola would like fans to replicate the atmosphere from their raucous victory over Premier League title rivals Liverpool in January.
“The Liverpool game would be enough for me, a little bit better,” said City boss Guardiola. “We need it.
“Do it for the guys – the last 20 months, they are so proud with what they have done but they are human beings. They will have bad moments in the games and at that moment we need our supporters.
“At this stage, without supporters, we cannot go through. I’m expecting.
“I’m really curious to see how our fans are going to react tomorrow, really curious.”
Guardiola alluded to his own perceived failings in the competition as he attempted to communicate directly to supporters at his pre-match press conference.
He twice guided Barcelona to Champions League glory but was unable to repeat that at Bayern Munich and is yet to reach the semi-finals with City.
He said: “Sorry guys, I’m a failure in this competition but many times I played in the semi-final and quarter-finals, and every time I played away the atmosphere was really incredible. They support their local teams.
“We need it. Really, we need it. I want to see that they want to get to the semi-finals. Not the players, the players no doubt after 20 months.
“I want to see my fans, our fans, that they really want the semi-finals. I want to see that tomorrow.”
City face Spurs again in the Premier League on Saturday and, with a derby at Manchester United coming next week, the coming days are vital to their season.
City are still chasing an unprecedented quadruple but Champions League progress is on a knife edge and Liverpool are pushing them all the way on the domestic front.
Guardiola said: “If we don’t win these games we’ll be out of two competitions. They are absolute finals for us, I’ve had that feeling from weeks ago.
The Champions League returns to the Etihad tomorrow. It's go time! 👊— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 16, 2019
“This season we have an incredible opponent like Liverpool in the Premier League. What they have done so far they deserve. Normally with 84 or 86 points you are champion — they have 85.
“Both teams deserve to be champions but just one team is going to get it.”
City have already won the Carabao Cup this season while they are also through to the FA Cup final.
Defender John Stones is relishing the challenge of chasing four trophies.
The England international said: “I don’t think a lot of things are impossible, that is the mindset of different people. If you don’t dream big then you are not going to get anywhere near it.
“It comes from within everyone, we have this belief and ambition to do it.”
