Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes that winning the FIFA Club World Cup would 'close the circle' on the club's historic success in recent years.
Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016 and has since won a total of 15 trophies – lifting five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, two Community Shields, one Champions League and one UEFA Super Cup.
The Catalan boss successfully steered the Citizens to the treble last season, with their first-ever Champions League triumph helping them qualify for the Club World Cup for the first time in their history.
Man City have landed in Saudi Arabia and have trained ahead of Tuesday's semi-final clash with Japanese outfit Urawa Red Diamonds, who beat Mexican side Club Leon 1-0 in their second-round match last Friday.
Guardiola has previously won the Club World Cup on three occasions with former clubs Barcelona (2009 and 2011) and Bayern Munich (2013), and he is keen to celebrate success for a fourth time in charge of Man City.
© Reuters
Speaking at a press conference at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Monday, Guardiola said: "First of all we have to deserve to be in the final to take this trophy.
"It is my fourth time I have played this competition and the previous times the semi-final was really tough, really tricky every time.
"We want to win it. Once we are here, it is a trophy we do not have. We want to close the little circle and win all the trophies we could do. This is the last one."
"It's Manchester City's first time here and it is a pleasure to be here - an honour," Guardiola added. "We take it as a privilege, it's an honour to be here.
"To be sitting here and play tomorrow means you have done something exceptional in the past. We have to take it, play a game tomorrow and deserve to be in the final.
"We know how hard it is to win this competition and you have to have done something special in the past, but we wanted to win against Crystal Palace (2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday).
© Reuters
"In the Premier League you have another game in three days, here it may be another lifetime. It's difficult to win here and the players know this. That's why we want to play well tomorrow.
"But to play the final we know we have to play this first final, play well to get it."
Man City enter Tuesday's contest after winning just one of their last six Premier League games, leaving the reigning champions fourth in the table and five points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Guardiola has encouraged his players to brush aside their domestic form and shift their focus to the Club World Cup, adding: "It's a different competition. Whatever happens here will be different to when we return and play Everton, Sheffield United and Newcastle.
"Except the Aston Villa game, our performance was excellent in many ways but we have to be better at managing games. But hopefully we can maintain passion and desire tomorrow against Urawa."
Man City have been boosted by the return of star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to first-team training, but Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku were absent from Monday's open training session.
