Pep Guardiola tells Man City players what not to do in Club World Cup final v Fluminense

Pep Guardiola has said his players must use the emotion of Friday’s Club World Cup final to their advantage.

Manchester City face Fluminense in Jeddah with both sides aiming to be crowned world champions for the first time in their history. European sides have dominated the competition in the last decade and Brazilian outfit Corinthians were the last team from another continent to win the tournament when they beat Chelsea in the 2012 final.

But for City and Guardiola, who endured so many setbacks in their non-domestic fortunes before last season's Champions League triumph, a win on Friday would see them reach the pinnacle of world football, an achievement only three Premier League sides have previously managed. Ahead of such an important game, Guardiola has told his players to enjoy the occasion and not suppress their emotions.

“How do we do that? How do you play a Club World Cup final without emotion?” the City manager asked on Friday. “Emotion is there, it’s how you handle it. It’s there [in the head]. It’s how long it stays in your mind. That’s the big target in finals.

“It’s the fourth time I am here. The first time at Barcelona in 2009 we scored in the 93rd minutes to go to extra time.”

While City are heavy favourites for the game, Guardiola said his players should not underestimate a Fluminense team with so many experienced players in their ranks.

“I know exactly the talent and the quality of Fluminense and what they can do. They have beaten teams from Argentina, Colombia and Uruguay. They play lots of ball, short passes, one v one, physicality. We have to be aware how much they will try to run behind.

“We have to be precise with the ball and accept they play the way we never face. It is not positional, they move a lot. The ball moves side to side. We have to impose our rhythm and do a good performance and be resilient in the bad moments.

"The players are ready and they know how important it is,” Guardiola added. "The pleasure is to have done it. We won the semi final. We try since the semi-final against Urawa to assess the quality that Fluminense have."