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Guardiola wants a full Etihad for United visit

Cape Town - Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged the club's supporters to fill the Etihad Stadium when Manchester United pay them a visit.

The City boss wants to see a full house as holders City host rivals Manchester United in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday, hoping to complete the job after winning 3-1 at Old Trafford.

Guardiola made his plea after a crowd of 39,223, some way short of the 55,000 capacity, watched Sunday's routine 4-0 win over 10-man Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.

He said: "Now we have three days to prepare (to play) against United. Hopefully, our fans can come and make our stadium full.

"The determination was always there in the Premier League. We are still there fighting every single day, especially at Sheffield United (last week).

"Now the determination is the next one, the Carabao Cup second leg to get to the final. That is the target."

City were not tested by Championship Fulham, whose hopes effectively ended when captain Tim Ream was sent off for denying Gabriel Jesus a goalscoring opportunity after six minutes.

Ilkay Gundogan scored from the resulting penalty and Bernardo Silva added a second. Jesus wrapped up victory with two more in quick succession after the break.

Guardiola said: "After one or two minutes I thought it would be a tough tough game. I knew after watching them against Charlton and Leeds it was a team with a lot of courage, that's why they are where they are in their position in the Championship.

"But after the red card, it was a little bit different."

City's four goals took their tally for the season in all competitions to 102.

Guardiola said: "We always score goals, especially the last three seasons. We always had the ability to score but the problem is that we concede few (chances) but that ends in a goal too often this season.

"But in general, the team always scores goals."

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