HOFFENHEIM v MAN CITY EUROPAIN CHAMPIONS

Pep: Maybe we need to suffer like Lyon game to achieve greatness

PEP GUARDIOLA has admitted that Manchester City may need to “suffer” in the Champions League group stage to prove they can go all the way and lift the trophy.

City had a shock defeat at home to Lyon in their opener and take on Hoffenheim tonight needing a win to get their campaign going.

The Blues qualified with ease from the group stage in the past two seasons under Guardiola, only to fall to Monaco at the last 16-stage in 2017 and in the quarter-finals against Liverpool last season.

And Guardiola suggested the Lyon loss could toughen City up and sharpen their competitive edge in the early stages, so they are at their best when it comes to the knockouts.

The City boss said: “The last two seasons we’ve qualified quite comfortably.

“Maybe we have to realise how complicated the competition is and suffer in the group stage to make a step forward in the knockout games. If we’re not able to do that, it means we’re not good enough and we’ll prepare much better for next season. We have five finals to qualify, so in the Champions League we don’t have time to lose a lot of games.

“It’s a top-level competition and every team is so good, which is why it is so complicated. Apart from Real Madrid, nobody else has won the Champions League in the past three years, so it’s tough.”

City skipper Vincent Kompany admitted winning the Champions League is the final challenge for the club.

“I’d love to win it with City, but it’s a tough competition to win,” he said. “It’s OK to say we want to win it, but there are other teams who are just as well-equipped to win it. Firstly we have to deal with losing to Lyon, worry about Hoffenheim and then, if we get momentum, anything is possible.”

City are expected to beat Hoffenheim, who are currently 12th in the Bundesliga. But striker Sergio Aguero has a foot injury and could be rested with Gabriel Jesus coming in.

Guardiola also ruled out City making a move for Paris Saint-germain’s £200million-rated forward Kylian Mbappe.

“That is not going to happen,” he added.

“City aren’t going to spend the money that Mbappe deserves, or PSG deserves.

“And PSG are not going to sell this kind of player to any other club in the world.” In Hoffenheim’s only previous meeting with English opponents, they lost 6-3 on aggregate to Liverpool in the 2017-18 Champions League qualifying play-off round. Hoffenheim have won one of their last nine matches in European competition (D3, L5), beating Istanbul Basaksehir in last season’s Europa League. City have conceded two or more goals in each of their last four Champions League games; they last conceded at least two goals in five consecutive matches in March 2014. Guardiola has lost five of his last six Champions League games as manager (W1), as many as he lost in his previous 28 (W18, D5, L5).

Sergio Aguero has had a hand in 32 Champions League goals for City (26 goals, 6 assists) – more than any other player.

HOFFENHEIM are currently mid-table in the Bundesliga, but their appearance in the Champions League is the culmination of a remarkable rise for the village club.They finished third last season but were part-timers until 2007.The dramatic rise of the team from a village of just 3,000 inhabitants was largely made possible by investment from the German software billionaire Dietmar Hopp (left).In their Champions League debut in 2017, they were defeated 6-3 on aggregate by Liverpool in the play-off round and dispatched to the Europa League, where they finished bottom of their group. PLENTY TO PONDER City boss Guardiola admits success in Europe is difficult This will be the first time Hoffenheim and Manchester City have met in any competition. City are unbeaten in five Champions League games against German opponents (W4, D1) since a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in September 2014. City are the first English side to lose four consecutive matches in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola faced Hoffenheim six times while in charge of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga; he won five and lost none of those meetings (D1).