Manchester City are braced for their Champions League reunion with Inter Milan at the start of an expanded tournament that will be “so tough” for the 2023 winners. Pep Guardiola’s side beat Inter 1-0 in the final two seasons ago as Rodri’s goal clinched their first Champions League crown on a memorable night in Istanbul.
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Inter visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in City’s first experience of the competition’s new format, in which 36 teams compete in one table and play eight fixtures each instead of the traditional group stage with six matches.
City defender Manuel Akanji is not a fan of the new model because of the extra burden it will place on players in a gruelling season which will conclude with Guardiola’s men competing in the Club World Cup in the United States.
“It’s getting more complicated with the league. You play different teams, and then Inter don’t have the same opponents as us. It’s just got bigger, more games,” Akanji said.
“Then we have the Club World Cup at the end of the season. It’s just game after game and I don’t know how it will work out over the next couple of years.
“It’s so tough, you don’t just think about this season but also next season. When do we do holidays? There are no breaks in winter.
“If we are lucky we get two weeks and then we need to be back and into next season. There’s no end to it. I don’t know how it works out. Maybe I’ll retire at 30!”
Despite his complaints, the 29-year-old Akanji is relishing the chance to face Inter again after that treble-winning triumph 15 months ago.
It was a cathartic victory for City after a series of crushing Champions League disappointments during the Guardiola era, including a 2021 final loss to Chelsea.
City had to dig deep before Rodri finally broke down Inter’s well-drilled defence in the second half of a tense clash at the Ataturk Stadium.
‘Good memories’
“I’m looking forward to it, even with the new format,” Akanji said.
“I think the old one was better but we go up against the best teams still and we start with a great game against Inter. The last time we played them was in the final, so good memories for us.”
City’s Champions League title defence was ended by eventual winners Real Madrid last season, with the Spanish side emerging victorious from a quarter-final penalty shoot-out in Manchester.
But City’s latest painful European exit stung a lot less thanks to the warm memories of their victory against Inter.
It will be fascinating to see how Guardiola goes about competing for another European title and a fifth successive Premier League crown amid the financial breaches case that could plunge the club into turmoil.
The independent commission hearing into 115 Premier League charges of alleged financial breaches against City began on Monday.
City strongly deny any wrongdoing but potentially face a severe points deduction or even expulsion from the league if the verdict, which is not expected until 2025, finds them guilty.
In the meantime, City extended their 100 per cent start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win against Brentford on Saturday.
Significantly, influential Spain midfielder Rodri played his first 45 minutes of the season in the second half after a hamstring injury suffered in the Euro 2024 final victory against England.
With England defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker also making their first starts this term, Guardiola is close to having all his stars available just in time for a hectic period.
“Rodri came on there and played really good. He played 45 and I asked him how did he feel and he said he felt good. He is so important for us,” Guardiola said.
“Kyle the first minutes, John the first minutes. It’s really good to have that.”
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