Pep Guardiola (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howeplaceholder image
Pep Guardiola (left) and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe | Getty Images
Newcastle United are Manchester City are set to face off for the fifth time this season.
Pep Guardiola has opened up about having a healthy relationship with Eddie Howe - but the duo are yet to “have dinner together” ahead of the FA Cup clash.
Newcastle United and Manchester City are set to battle each other for the fifth time this season. The Magpies won at St James' Park in October but Guardiola and Co avenged that loss with three consecutive wins in the space of five weeks.
Both clubs are desperate to progress to the fifth round, with City’s title hopes slipping and Newcastle losing ground in the race for European qualification. Due to the frequency of the fixture, Guardiola is not expecting any surprises on Tyneside tomorrow.
Pep Guardiola on FA Cup importance and Newcastle United
“How many finals did we play in the last few years?” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference. “How many semi-finals? A lot, that means always (that the) FA Cup is so important. We are going to travel to Newcastle to win and get to the next round. That’s definitely, 100 per cent.”
“It’s (the fixture list) the same for them (Newcastle). It is what it is, we know each other quite well. We know each other, no surprises. It’s not the first time this season. How many times with Newcastle and Eddie Howe have we played? A lot.”
Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola relationship
Howe and Guardiola have been highly complimentary of each other since the latter arrived in England a decade ago. On their relationship, Guardiola joked that it is “really good” but they are yet to have dinner together.
“Yeah, really good,” he told reporters. “Never dinner together, but really good. At the end, we are rivals, we have to play each other. But before and after the game, it's completely different.”
Read More
‘It doesn’t annoy me’ - Eddie Howe
Speaking yesterday, Howe downplayed Guardiola’s chats with Newcastle players. He also claimed to be unaware of the topic of conversation between the City boss and his stars.
“No, I don't think it annoys me,” Howe said. “I think that's something Pep does regularly with lots of players. I don't think it's personal to us. I think he's a football man and he's got different relationships with different players. I really respect Pep and what he does and how he coaches, how he manages.
“His teams have been fantastic for the Premier League, fantastic for football really. I think he's a revolutionary with what he does and that's just part of his psychology. I don't know what those conversations are about. I don't spend any time investing in finding out either.”
Continue Reading