Guardiola’s Man City leads teams buoyant for start of Group Stage
LONDON (Reuters) – Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are not yet ready to compete with Europe’s elite, but his side will be confident of opening its Champions League Group Stage campaign with a victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday.
The Spaniard could hardly have started his City reign more impressively, with four consecutive Premier League wins and a crushing Champions League playoff defeat of Steaua Bucharest.
But Guardiola, twice a Champions League winner as coach of Barcelona, has quickly moved to dampen expectations.
“Until now, in the Premier League it has been okay – but to compete against the best clubs in Europe, in this moment with the way we are playing, we are not able to,” Guardiola said.
The comment was all the more surprising as it came after Saturday’s impressive 2-1 victory at Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
Even without top striker Sergio Aguero, who was suspended but will be available on Tuesday, City oozed confidence.
The same cannot be said of Moenchengladbach, which City beat twice in the group phase last season before going on to reach the semifinals for the first time.
The Bundesliga side was beaten 3-1 at SC Freiburg over the weekend, interrupting what had been a bright start to the season for Andre Schubert’s men.
Fourth in the Bundesliga last season, Moenchengladbach had crushed BSC Young Boys 9-2 on aggregate in the Champions League playoffs and opened its domestic campaign with a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
City represents a huge challenge though, especially given Guardiola’s pedigree in the competition.
He has never failed to reach at least the semifinals in seven previous seasons coaching in the competition and, whatever he says about City’s readiness, he will surely be disappointed if his new club is not still alive in May.
Saturday’s win at Old Trafford meant Guardiola became the first City manager to win his first six games in charge and there are positive signs that his tried and tested methods are already being taken on board by his squad. FRENCH INTERNATIONAL STRIKER Olivier Giroud (9) is back in full fitness and in contention for a place in Arsenal’s starting lineup for the Gunners’ Champions League Group Stage opener tonight at Paris Saint Germain.
Wenger back on familiar ground for opening clash with PSG
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s long-serving manager Arsene Wenger will feel at home when he takes his team to the Parc des Princes for Tuesday’s opening Group A match against Paris Saint Germain.
A regular visitor to the French capital, the Strasbourg-born Wenger has often been linked in the past with an executive role at PSG when he finally leaves Arsenal, the club he joined in 1996.
Since then, the London side has qualified for the Champions League in every full season of his management.
For the last 16 years in succession, the Gunners have reached the second stage of the competition, only to suffer the frustration of defeat in the first knockout round for six seasons in a row.
Along with PSG, they must be regarded as the favorites to qualify again from a group also including Basel and Bulgarian side Ludogorets.
Arsenal, which has a good record on recent visits to France, has recovered from taking a single point from its first two Premiership games, winning the next two to reach sixth place in the table, needing a disputed late penalty to beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.
PSG was also involved in late drama in its weekend game, although it went against them. Visitors St Etienne scored in the final minute on Friday to force a 1-1 draw.
That left the champion three points behind Monaco, which had beaten PSG 3-1 in the previous league fixture.
The demands remain high on Wenger, who made something of a rod for his own back by winning the League and FA Cup double twice within six years of arriving at Arsenal, then went from 2005 to 2014 without a major trophy.
Barca looks to rebound vs Celtic
Also, Barcelona is eyeing its group opener against Celtic on Tuesday as a chance to make amends for the shock 2-1 defeat at home to La Liga newcomer Alaves on Saturday.
With many of his players in action with international sides in midweek, coach Luis Enrique rotated his squad, resting regulars Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba and talisman Lionel Messi.
The decision backfired and Alaves, playing in the top flight for the first time in a decade, made the most of its few chances, frustrating the champ even after Suarez, Messi and Iniesta came on.
Ibai Gomez’s 64th minute strike won the game for the Basques after Jeremy Mathieu had canceled out Deyverson’s surprise opener.
“We made a lot of changes so the freshest players could play, but we were fragile in defense and we have to look at that,” said Luis Enrique.
Barca is expected to field its first choice 11 against Celtic, so Suarez will meet up with his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Celtic heads to Spain on a high after thrashing Glasgow rival Rangers 5-1 on Saturday in the first league Old Firm derby in over four years to stay top of the Scottish Premiership.