I lied, Pep retracts on 1% chance against Madrid

Manchester Coach Pep Guardiola has retracted his earlier statement following their 3-2 defeat at the Etihad last week Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, he said:  “Well, you’re right. This time, I lied to you. This is the first time you didn’t believe me. Well, you never do, but this time, you got it right. But I said it because we lost the match in England. No one gave us a chance. That 1% was all we had.

“But as days go by, you start to gain hope. Of course, it’s not the best result. But we’ll try, of course. Carlo doesn’t need to tell me anything else before the match.”

However, Real Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti laughed off Pep’s claims, saying: “We certainly don’t think we have a 99 per cent chance. We have a small advantage but have to make the most of it.”

When asked about Jude Bellingham’s sending-off on Saturday, Pep revealed that after eight years in England “I still haven’t worked out the difference between fuck off and fuck you – but what ­matters is the intention, not the insult [itself]”.