Thomas Tuchel has insisted he has never been a Pep Guardiola “fanboy.”
Tuchel is looking for a fourth straight win over his great managerial rival but claimed it does not take a “miracle” to beat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City.
Chelsea boss Tuchel is full of respect for Guardiola as they used to have dinner together in Germany when they worked at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich respectively.
But Tuchel, who beat Guardiola in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League final last season, said: “I am not a fanboy!
"But I am simply impressed, I am absolutely impressed and it was like an honour to speak to him and have the chance to hear his beliefs.
“Not so long ago there were a lot of voices who told me I don’t know how to beat Pep.
"Anyway, it’s not between me and him, we don’t play a match of tennis or chess, we play with our teams and they compete against each other on a very high level.
"We have the belief. We know very well what it takes to have the possibility to win and I have the feeling that it does not take a miracle to win against Manchester City but it's absolutely necessary to bring out the best performance.
"We have the experience, the positive experiences and we know how tough it feels at half time in the dressing room, how much work we put in, the kind of input which is needed. When I tell you 50-50, I mean 50-50.
“Honestly the last three games, I see three 50-50 matches… it could have been any outcome. Once you have 50:50 matches, little details decide, small situations can give you the advantage, and you need a bit of luck.
"This is tough enough. It's one of the biggest tests in European football, the game is on tomorrow, it's in our stadium and we feel ready.”
