Guardiola hopes Liverpool get knocked out of UCL: 'I love Bayern'

Pep Guardiola is putting his Premier League allegiance aside for Wednesday's Champions League showdown between Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

After apologizing to those in the country where he plies his trade, the Manchester City manager said he hopes his former club, Bayern Munich, progress past Liverpool to reach the quarterfinals stage of the Champions League.

"I'm sorry for the English people but I want Bayern to go through," Guardiola told reporters, according to Reuters, shortly after his side reached the last eight courtesy of a 10-2 aggregate win over FC Schalke 04.

"I love Munich, I love Bayern. I have a lot of friends there. It's a demanding game for both but I feel I like Bayern Munich and hopefully they can go through."

Guardiola spent three trophy-laden seasons in Munich before joining Manchester City in 2016. He won almost every major trophy with the Bundesliga giants except for the Champions League.

Despite his allegiance to Bayern, Guardiola is pleased to see a trio of English clubs - City, Manchester United, and Tottenham - advance to the next phase of the Champions League.

"It's nice for English football that three teams are there in the quarterfinals and Liverpool too, maybe." Guardiola added. "In the last decade, Spanish teams controlled everything. It's good for us. For English football it's incredible."

Manchester City are currently engaged in a tight title race with Liverpool, as Guardiola's men attempt to repeat as Premier League champions. City have a one-point advantage over the Reds with eight matches remaining.