Pep Guardiola says there is no injury issue with Raheem Sterling after dropping the Manchester City forward at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Guardiola made two changes from the City side that drew against Liverpool last time out, with Gabriel Jesus suspended and Sterling dropping to the bench. Ilkay Gundogan returned, with Riyad Mahrez coming into the attack.
It was the same midfield setup that beat Atletico in the first leg, with game-changer Phil Foden starting and Kyle Walker back in defence for an arguably stronger City side from last week. Explaining his selection decisions, Guardiola said there were no fitness considerations when it came to Sterling, but more tactical reasons behind playing Gundogan and Foden.
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Speaking to BT Sport before the game, Guardiola said: "Raheem has the ability to recover, he can play every two days. He is mature, his body is out of this world, exceptional.
"Just for the decisions. They defend different to Liverpool. We adapt to the quality of the players we have."
Explaining what he expects from Atletico, and whether keeping calm will be crucial for City, Guardiola twice mentioned the home crowd as playing a key role in the second leg.
"It's a nice stadium, incredible fans supporting their team," he said. "It's Champions League, it's normal. All stadiums support their teams. There's a referee for these situations.
"They will press higher, momentum, I don't know how long but to create a good environment. Especially second half everyone is watching the result they need to qualify. There will be moments, always they have done it in the Champions League, I remember at Barcelona and Bayern. Always at home, they go forward."
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