Pep Guards Against Guangzhou Dangers

[Folami David]

Few things worry Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola more than a team of underdogs coached by an Italian, making him especially wary of Tuesday's Club World Cup semifinal against Guangzhou Evergrande.
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The Asian and Chinese champions are managed by Marcello Lippi and, although Guardiola has never faced the Italian World Cup winner as a coach, the alarm bells are ringing.
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"Italian teams, when they are not favourites, they are so, so dangerous and you have to prepare as well as possible and play a good game," the Spaniard told reporters.
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"It's an honour for me to play against him, one of the most successful coaches in the world," added Guardiola who twice won the Club World Cup as coach of Barcelona.
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He said European teams had to understand how seriously the tournament was taken by the rest of the world.
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"Everyone thinks Bayern are favourites but there are a lot of dangers. They have very, very good organisation when they don't have the ball and three or four players of huge, huge quality," added Guardiola.
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"I am very surprised by the quality of (playmaker) Dario Conca, of (Brazilian striker) Elkeson and (China captain)Zheng Zhi, a very experienced player.
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"For European teams to be successful in this tournament we have to realise how important it is in Africa, Asia,South America and in CONCACAF."
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Guardiola's players, who faced Hamburg SV in freezing Munich on Saturday, said the squad knew little aboutGuangzhou who they face in the balmy resort of Agadir.

[Nifemi Donald]

They already won the FIFA World Club Cup deservedly and that was a wonderful one for the German Club.