Peterborough boss Grant McCann has told his players they have no need to fear Manchester City when the sides meet in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Pep Guardiola takes his Premier League champions to the Weston Homes Stadium on Tuesday night for a tie which will see the visitors odds-on favourites to advance.
Posh are currently languishing at the foot of the Sky Bet Championship, with McCann appointed last week for his second stint in the dugout.
While his first game back in charge saw his previous employers Hull leave with a 3-0 victory, McCann wants his players to feel they can enjoy themselves as they host City in front of the cameras.
“It is first and foremost going to be a really, really difficult game,” he said.
“We're playing against one of the best teams in the world at the moment. So, all we can do is go and look forward to it, the boys are excited about it.
“I take myself back to when I was playing. It's one of these games you think: ‘Well, it's an opportunity to go and show everyone'.
“The games on TV, it's going to show people what we are about, what you're about as footballers – there's nothing to be scared of, really.
“Yes, they are one of the best teams in the world but they should just go and embrace it. No one from the outside looking in will give us any sort of hope of winning the game.
“So the boys need to embrace it, go and play with a smile on their face and see what happens.”
McCann has never met Guardiola but admits he will be looking forward to picking the brains of the City boss if given the chance.
While dreams of a cup upset seem remote, McCann is also refusing to let his mind wander the other way and envisage what a damaging, heavy defeat could do for morale in the battle against relegation.
“We can't think like that,” he added. “We just think of how can we be as positive as we can be going into the game?
“We're under no illusions what we're playing against, we're very clear on that, we've got to let the boys go and embrace it. And go and meet the challenge head on.
“In terms of the result, that's not something I'm looking at thinking: ‘what if this happens?'”
