According to former football star Stefan Effenberg, Pep Guardiola may use psychological tactics against Bayern in the upcoming Champions League quarter-finals. Both Bayern and Man City are two of the most successful teams in the competition this season.
The German team won all eight matches and only conceded two goals from the beginning of the 2022-2023 Champions League season, while the English giants demolished another Bundesliga team, RB Leipzig, with an 8-1 aggregate score in the Round of 16. Effenberg believes that Guardiola usually praises or shows great respect for every opponent before matches, and this could be a psychological tactic to give Man City an advantage. "Guardiola will definitely push everything towards Bayern," he warned. "You can't be blinded by that."
Effenberg also thinks that Guardiola's legacy at Bayern is not as significant anymore. After the Spanish coach brought three Bundesliga titles during his 2013-2016 tenure, Bayern only won six more titles - one of which is the 2019-2020 Champions League triumph with then-coach Hansi Flick.
The clash between the two biggest football teams from two different countries, coupled with Guardiola's reunion with Bayern, is expected to be a football feast, according to Effenberg. The 58-year-old former football star believes that if Bayern wants to win the competition, they have to overcome every opponent.
In Man City's current lineup, Erling Haaland is the most notable player, having scored 42 goals in 37 games since the beginning of the season. In the Round of 16, the 22-year-old striker scored five goals in the 7-0 win over Leipzig. Four days later, the former Dortmund star also netted a hat-trick against Burnley in the FA Cup.
However, Effenberg - who won the Champions League in 2001 - believes that Bayern is not afraid of Haaland. He pointed out that the Norwegian striker lost seven times to Bayern while playing for Dortmund. "The encounters with Bayern were not pleasant memories for Haaland," the German football legend recalled, but also warned Bayern not to let Man City play as freely as they did against Leipzig. He also believes that the defense could be the deciding factor in determining which team reaches the semi-finals.
