Manchester City realise their three challengers for their Champions League title
A look ahead to their UCL defence this season.
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00:00 obviously picking you up in the Champions League again.
00:03 They are top of the group, three out of three.
00:06 What can you see coming from this next game for them
00:09 against Young Boys?
00:10 Is it going to be another rout, do you think?
00:12 Can they just go four out of four?
00:15 - Yeah, I think so.
00:16 I'd be surprised if they don't.
00:17 I think he'll race and rotate.
00:19 He's got Chelsea on Sunday in the Premier League.
00:21 I think between Bournemouth, Young Boys, Chelsea,
00:24 he'll look to just race a little bit
00:27 with the aim of going into that Chelsea game as fresh,
00:29 as possible.
00:30 I mean, he's got Tuesday to Sunday,
00:33 so what's that five days rest in between?
00:34 So they should be relatively fresh anyway,
00:36 but a couple of players dropped out against Bournemouth.
00:40 Diaz, Grealish, Guardiola, I think they'll all come back in.
00:43 And I think he said on Saturday that he basically wants
00:46 to get this wrapped up now, this group stage,
00:48 as quickly as possible.
00:49 If they win on Tuesday, they're through to the next round
00:52 and he can basically race, certainly kind of race
00:55 and rotate for the last two games.
00:57 I think he might go a little bit stronger
00:58 against Leipzig at home just to kind of secure a top spot.
01:01 But yeah, I'm expecting it to be a pretty straightforward one.
01:05 Maybe the likes of Rico Lewis come in,
01:07 Nunes, kind of slightly fringe members of the squad.
01:13 We're recording this just about 15 minutes before
01:15 Pep Guardiola's press conference.
01:17 We're not totally sure if Erling Haaland is gonna play,
01:19 but I'd be surprised if he does, personally.
01:20 I just think that if there's any doubt,
01:22 but it's fitness, why rush him back to this game?
01:24 Just get him, you know, wrap him up in cotton wool,
01:27 as they say, and get him back for Sunday's game
01:30 against Chelsea.
01:31 But as I say, he's got a pretty straightforward one
01:33 for City and they tend to make pretty light work
01:36 of the Champions League group stage.
01:37 Another indication of just what a superb side they are.
01:40 Guardiola keeps going on about the consistency of City
01:42 getting through the group stages and you can't argue with that.
01:45 So yeah, expecting a straightforward one on Tuesday night.
01:49 - And finally, I've obviously just checked there,
01:51 but City, Real Madrid, Barcelona,
01:54 the only three who have gone 100% in the group so far.
01:58 Is that possibly a sign for what's to come
02:00 in this Champions League campaign?
02:01 Do you think City are still the top dogs in Europe
02:04 this season so far?
02:06 - Yeah, I think so.
02:07 I think so.
02:08 I think, like, I mean, I don't watch copious amounts
02:10 of La Liga or Bundesliga or whatever,
02:13 but I think those three you've just named,
02:16 potentially chucking Bayern Munich as well,
02:17 are the four sides I look at and think that
02:20 are probably likely to go on and win the Champions League
02:22 this year and they are just, yeah,
02:26 three or four fantastic teams.
02:28 But I think City, like,
02:30 City, player for player, probably are the better side,
02:34 but City now have developed a knack of getting through
02:37 to the latter stages of this tournament
02:39 and three years in a row they've got the semi-final.
02:42 They've now got over that hoodoo
02:44 of winning the competition as well,
02:45 which I think will be a little bit of a release for them.
02:48 I think it'll take away some of the nerves, you know,
02:50 if they were to hypothetically get
02:51 to a quarter-final or a semi-final this year again,
02:54 or even a final.
02:56 And of course, finals at Wembley this year as well,
02:57 I think it's a big boost for City.
02:59 Pep Guardiola has already won a Champions League
03:01 at Wembley, hasn't he?
03:02 So, yeah, I make City favourites for it,
03:06 but I don't make City, how can I put it,
03:08 those other sides you mentioned are such good teams
03:10 that I certainly think they would offer real competition
03:14 for City for the Champions League, yeah.