How will Manchester City fare in the Champions League this season?
Manchester City have won everything there is to win. Well, almost everything. In the past 10 years of Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, the club have been crowned champions of England on three occasions, won the FA Cup once and the League Cup twice. In fact, they even finished the 2017/18 season as Premier League champions with a record 100 points.
But the only thing the blue half of Manchester dreams about winning is the UEFA Champions League. To that end, Pep Guardiola could be the man to deliver the biggest prize of European football at the doorsteps of Etihad Stadium. Guardiola’s City have failed at the quarter-finals twice, first against AS Monaco in 2016/17 and then against Liverpool in 2017/18. Like last season, however, City have been awarded a relatively easy group.
Group F
Manchester City
Shakhtar Donetsk
Lyon
Hoffenheim
Fixtures Analysis
Followed by City’s home game against Fulham in the Premier League, Lyon will travel to Etihad on 19th September for the first game. It should be a straightforward match for the English champions as Lyon have been poor this season. They have lost two and won two in their opening four Ligue 1 games so far. The French team will then host Guardiola’s men on 28th November. If all goes according to plan, a win in Lyon could well seal a place in the knock-out round.
City faced Shakhtar Donetsk last season, as Ukranian side defeated Guardiola’s men in the group stages. The likes of Bernard and Fred left Shakhtar this summer but the club have signed four more Brazilians to maintain the policy that has brought them success in the past. City will play in Ukraine on 24th September but then face a tricky trip to Tottenham Hotspur, just four days after the Champions League tie.
The easiest fixtures in the group for City should be the two matches against Hoffenheim. The Germans already lost the first game of the season to Bayern Munich and sit 10th in the Bundesliga table. Manchester City have a tough fixture at Stamford Bridge on 8th December but if they manage to qualify early, Pep can afford to rest his star players for the home tie against Hoffenheim.
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City had a squad capable of winning the Champions League last season. This time, however, getting out of the group should be a cakewalk for them, even with Kevin De Bruyne’s injury.
Predictions
- Manchester City
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Lyon
- Hoffenheim
