• ‘I want to see that they want to get to the semi-finals’ • ’I’m really curious how our fans will be … we need them’

Pep Guardiola has questioned how much Manchester City fans want to see their team reach the Champions League semi-finals and called on them to generate a raucous atmosphere that will help his side to eliminate Tottenham.

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City trail 1-0 going into the quarter-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, with the manager “very curious” about how much their supporters care about reaching the last four of the tournament after it emerged that tickets were still on sale on Tuesday.

“I want to see that they want to get to the semi-finals, not just the players, the fans too,” said the City manager. “I want to see that. Do it for the guys – the last 20 months, they are so proud with what they have done, but they are human beings. They will have bad moments in the games and at that moment we need our supporters. At this stage, without supporters, we cannot go through. I’m really curious how our fans will be.”

Guardiola pointed to the atmosphere during the Premier League win against their main Premier League title rivals in January as the minimum standard. “The Liverpool game would be enough for me – a little bit better,” he said.

The manager added somewhat sarcastically that he was a failure for his inability to win the tournament with Bayern Munich. “I know people say I came here to win the Champions League. I didn’t come here to win the Champions League, honestly. I came here to play with my team the way we are playing the last 20 months; that is what I came here [for], to play the way I want to play.

“And of course I want the Champions League. I know in Bayern Munich, a big club, after three seasons winning absolutely everything, the Champions League was a big failure. What can I say? I accept that. I have to live with that but it’s not a big problem, it pushes me better. I understand the other [clubs] are better too, in this competition. A lot of big, big clubs are not in the later stages.”

Mauricio Pochettino, meanwhile, refused to say there will be more pressure on Guardiola to take his team through because of the money City have spent on their squad.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” the Tottenham manager said. “The reality is the reality. We are going to be 11 against 11 on the pitch and of course we will forget everything and try and win everything, and fight. I am a person that never makes excuses after and never before. You describe a reality and the reality is there but tomorrow we are going to be on the pitch and [will] try and win the game. We are going to be more than proud of our run in the Champions League and try and arrive in the semi-final and challenge a team like Manchester City.

“City for me is one of the best teams in the world and a clear favourite to win the Premier League and Champions League. For us to beat them in the first leg was an amazing result but we know very well the tie is still open and tomorrow is going to be very tough.”

The availability of City’s Fernandinho is in the balance because of a lack of match fitness.