Manchester City are set to host Napoli at Etihad Stadium in their first Champions League game of the campaign on September 18.
City bagged a 3-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday, which ranks them eighth in the Premier League with six points after four matches.
The English side concluded their run in the 2024/25 season with a third-place finish in the top flight, without claiming any major trophies. City's journey in the Champions League last term came to an end following their elimination from the knockout phase play-offs.
Now, ahead of their Champions League opener, Man City head coach Pep Guardiola shared his thoughts on his side not being among the favorites in the competition this season.
What did Man City boss Pep Guardiola say ahead of Champions League opener?
During his pre-match press conference, Guardiola candidly admitted that Man City are 'apparently' not among the favourites while clarifying what they are currently focusing on, and said,
"Apparently we are not. Enjoy the moment, the journey, we are happy to be here. In the past we have been [among the favourites]. We have just won once. It is a lot for the difficulty and we just focus on tomorrow, the game we have to play. We have to play more games than the past but when you start with a bad result always it is more difficult," as per Manchester Evening News.
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The Catalan manager also spoke about the format of the competition and added,
"Last season we draw the first game against Inter, hopefully this time we can make a better result. The group stages have been tough but when you face your group all the time you can control your opponents home and way and learn a lot. In this format it is more unexpected, you always have to have as much points as possible in the first eight, otherwise come back in the first 24."
The match on Thursday will also see Kevin De Bruyne back at Etihad after the Man City legend made the move to Napoli as a free agent this summer.
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