Manchester City are one of the true giants of modern football. With the genius Pep Guardiola at the helm, they have excelled over recent years and Guardiola has crafted a perfectly balanced team that acts as a well-oiled footballing machine, as dangerous as it is entertaining.
However, despite success in their domestic league, one trophy still eludes Guardiola’s Manchester City side: the Champions League. This is the biggest prize in club football, securing this legendary trophy is Manchester City’s ultimate goal. Will the 2022/2023 season be when Manchester City finally win the Champions League? Keep reading to find out.
Previous Champions League Campaigns
Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016 and took the club to the Champions League in his first year. They finished second in their group and progressed to the knockout stage, where a late Monaco goal put an end to their Champions League journey for that season.
The next season saw Manchester City win the Premier League title, but their Champions League campaign ended in disaster. Despite winning five group stage games and overcoming Basel in the next round, they suffered a 5 – 1 aggregate defeat to Liverpool that sent them crashing out of the competition.
In the 2018/2019 season, Manchester City won an unprecedented domestic treble, securing the league title, the FA cup, and the League Cup. For this reason, they were heavy favourites for that year’s Champions League tournament. They sailed through their group with 13 points and then went on to thrash Schalke 04 7 – 0 in the round of 16. However, they succumbed to Tottenham in the quarter finals, after a late winner from Raheem Sterling was ruled out after a VAR review.
The following year saw Manchester City exit the tournament in the quarter finals once again before losing out to French side Lyon. In the 2020/2021 season, City managed to reach the Champions League final, but were beaten 1 – 0 by Chelsea in what was a rather turgid game.
Finally, last saw Manchester City reach the semi-finals, before two last minute Real Madrid goals crushed their hopes and sent them home trophyless once again.
What Are City’s Chances This Year?
Pep Guardiola has himself confirmed that his ultimate goal is to win the Champions League with Manchester City. With the players and resources at his disposal, City are often heavy favourites, with fans looking to bet on UEFA champions league in South Africa often backing the English side.
This year, City are the favorites, with Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and PSG close behind them. What does the City team look like for this year’s campaign? Who are they going to come up against? Let’s find out.
The Manchester City Team
This year saw one of the biggest transfers in world football, as Norwegian prodigy Erling Haaland made the switch from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City. The goal-scoring machine was brought to the club in a deal valued at around £51 million, a move many perceived as an attempt to finally secure the Champions League trophy once and for all.
Haaland aside, City have an incredibly strong squad at their disposal. Dias, Ake, Stones, and Cancelo make up the defense, while Rodri, Gundogan, Mahrez, and Foden are among the best midfielders.
Manchester City’s squad, Valued at $1 billion, means it’s no surprise that they are tipped to do well in this year’s Champions League. With the group stages now over, let’s look at how City performed and who they are set to face in the knockout rounds.
The Campaign So Far
City were drawn into Group G with Copenhagen, Sevilla, and Haaland’s old club Borussia Dortmund. With three victories, two draws, and no losses, City secured progression to the next stage by topping the group with 14 points.
After the round of 16 draw was made, City were set to face RB Leipzig, with the first leg to be played in Germany on 22 February next year. There are some formidable opponents lying in wait should City make it through to the next stage, including current champions Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, and Europe’s in-form team Napoli.
With a squad as strong and as experienced as Manchester City’s, they should theoretically be able to handle any opponent. However, football is often much more unpredictable, various factors can come into play and shock results are far from a rare occurrence.
Conclusion
The Champions League trophy seems to be the one prize that has so far eluded Guardiola and his Manchester City side. Could this be their year? We’ll just need to wait and see.
