Man City change Champions League expectations after group stage draw

straight to your inboxKoeman hands City Messi boost Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has not ruled out Lionel Messi leaving the club next summer. The Barca star confirmed over the summer his intention to leave the Camp Nou, but after a stand-off with the club regarding the validity of a release clause he opted to stay and avoid a damaging court battle.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola is expecting the Premier League to return to more normal levels of goals as teams 'take a little more care'. Manchester City are used to racking up scores in their matches but there have been more goals and shocks across the league in the opening four rounds of games than ever before with an average of nearly four goals a game plundered.

Manchester United fans lauded Patrice Evra after he trolled Manchester City while wishing Sir Bobby Charlton a happy birthday. United legend Charlton turned 83 on October 11 and Evra paid tribute to the World Cup winner in an Instagram post.Evra wrote: "Happy Birthday @SirBobbyCharlton.

Manchester United and Manchester City will face a quick turnaround when they return from the international break.Both sides face Premier League games on October 17 before the Champions League group stage kicks off in midweek.The Reds are in action against PSG on Tuesday, October 20, with City facing Porto the following day.There are also some rule changes to prepare for in this season's competition.In contrast to the Premier League, UEFA have retained the decision to allow clubs to make five

Wenger told French outlet L’Equipe.“I would like it to be that there is no offside so long as a (single) body part which a player can score with is in line with the defender.“This could be too much of an advantage for an attacker because that obliges the defenders to play higher up.”Other changes being considered are perhaps more controversial though, as he has shared his vision to change corner kicks and throw-ins late in the game.“We are also considering other things: an in-swinging corner

straight to your inboxChampions League squad confirmed. Manchester City have confirmed their squad for the group stage of the 2020/21 Champions League.

straight to your inbox Manchester City named their 21-man squad for the Champions League group phase on Thursday morning, and Phil Foden's absence from the 'A list' of players may have raised eyebrows among some supporters.

Manchester City fan following the Carabao Cup final.Aston Villa fan Simon Ebdon, 54, punched the boy in the face as he and his dad waited for a train outside Wembley following the showpiece game which saw City lift the trophy back in March.Ebdon pleaded guilty to assault by beating at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in north London, on Monday, September 28.And he was ordered to carry out 80 hours' unpaid work as well as being handed a three-year football banning order.The court confirmed

straight to your inbox Manchester City's squad for the Champions League group phase has been confirmed. City were handed, on paper, a favourable draw in a group with FC Porto, Olympiacos and Marseille in Group C.

straight to your inboxFerran Soriano has become the latest figure at Manchester City to hit out at the decision to reduce the number of substitutions allowed in the Premier League.When football returned after a period of three months off during the pandemic, clubs were allowed to increase their matchday squads by two to include 20 players and use five substitutes during a game rather than three.

straight to your inboxSven-Goran Eriksson says Manchester City's lack of transfer activity suggests Pep Guardiola is confident in his squad's ability to challenge for major trophies.City have added three players to their first-team in this transfer window, with Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres all joining. It has meant a quiet deadline day, with most of the focus being on whether Eric Garcia will stay at the club after interest from Barcelona.

straight to your inbox Pep Guardiola is not thinking about any Manchester City enemies as he concentrates on getting his team up to speed for the season. The Blues boss last year spoke of his need for enemies - "I love when people hate me and hope I fail.

straight to your inboxParis Saint-Germain star Marquinhos has opened up on facing Manchester United for the first time since their controversial elimination in 2018.United turned around a two-goal first-leg deficit to win 3-1 at the Parc des Princes and progress to the quarter-finals on away goals.The decisive goal came from the penalty spot in the dying seconds of the game, with Pascal Kimpembe penalised for handball by VAR, and Marcus Rashford smashing home the penalty to send Ole Gunnar

straight to your inbox Owen Hargreaves has backed Manchester United to qualify for the Champions League knock-out phase despite being handed a tough group. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men were drawn against last season's losing finalists Paris-Saint Germain alongside RB Leipzig who were defeated by the French champions in the semi-final.

straight to your inboxPep Guardiola believes Manchester City are finished in the transfer market this summer after the arrival of Ruben Dias. The 23-year-old joined City on Tuesday for a fee of £65.2 million and will provide a much-needed boost to Guardiola’s backline.The club still have an eye on the market as they consider potential options at left-back in the wake of Benjamin Mendy’s poor performance against Leicester City on Sunday.