Garry Monk relishing battle with 'inspirational' Pep Guardiola as Sheffield Wednesday prepare to take on Manchester City

Garry Monk is confident that his team will relish the challenge of facing off against English champions Manchester City and will lead from the front against Pep Guardiola.
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The Sheffield Wednesday boss described the Spaniard as one of the elite managers in football history and said the FA Cup fifth round clash, to be broadcast live on BBC One, is an opportunity for the Owls to show what they can do despite their stuttering league form.

“For me, the bigger the challenge the better,” he said. “That’s the mentality I’ve always had.

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“It’s a unique and great opportunity for us to try and prove ourselves against some of the best in the world.

“It’s one to relish. It’s away from the league, hopefully that can help us. It won’t come any tougher than this game tomorrow but it’s one we should all be looking forward to. I have great belief that the players will go out and give absolutely everything to win this game.”

Asked about facing up against Guardiola, who lifted the 29th trophy of his managerial career as City ran out Carabao Cup winners on Sunday, Monk suggested he was looking forward to the challenge: “Any aspiring manager making their way in the game, of course you look at the very top.

“They’re the ones that give you that inspiration at the very highest end of the game, the elite managers.

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“You’re talking about unbelievable results, unbelievable performances, constructing teams to the highest level. You don’t do that by luck, you do that by expertise and the level he’s working at.

Pep Guardiola is recognised as one of the best coaches in the world.Pep Guardiola is recognised as one of the best coaches in the world.
Pep Guardiola is recognised as one of the best coaches in the world.

“It’s fantastic to come up against that type of manager, fantastic for the staff, fantastic for the players to come up against that calibre of team.

“You relish and enjoy it by preparing as best as you possibly can, being at the very top of our performance and needing some luck as well.

“What you shouldn’t do is fear it, that’s the mentality, you need to relish it. That’s what we’ve put into the team last week and what I’m sure we’ll see tomorrow night.”