Pep Guardiola has not had much time to prepare for Burton. Tuesday afternoon was only the second occasion he had sat down with chief analyst Carles Planchart to work out how Nigel Clough will approach this Carabao Cup semi-final.
Yet there is resonance to Guardiola’s words when he speaks about respecting Manchester City’s League One visitors.
This might be a relatively low-key tie, particularly compared to Tottenham’s two-legged affair with Chelsea, but these are the nights Guardiola cherishes.
Reaching Wembley again would be another landmark achievement in his quest to make City a ‘great’ club.