Pep: New-look Champions League format won't affect City's approach | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says City’s mindset for Wednesday’s Champions League opener at home to Internazionale won't be swayed by the new-look format to this season’s competition.

This season’s Champions League features a new-look league format as opposed to the group stages that have underpinned the initial stages in previous seasons.

It also sees clubs play two extra games with the top eight sides then going straight into the last 16 with the next 16 teams featuring in a two-legged play-off to try and seal a place in the knockout stages.

However, when asked whether the new-look format to the competition would alter City’s mindset in any way, the manager delivered an unequivocal and simple response.

“We [look to] win our first game and then the second one and see what happens,” Guardiola declared.

“In the last games, [we will] take a look. Like in the Premier League we will look at the table in the future.

“Win the first games and then we will see.

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“If we are lucky to play in the future, we will know what we need to know.

“Our games at home, we have to try to win otherwise anything can happen.

“[On playing extra games] I don't think much about what happens in January or February. Many things can happen.

“I'm focused on trying to win tomorrow, and for the rest of the days [on Sunday against] Arsenal.

“In modern football you have to handle the present and that's all.”

Wednesday’s Etihad clash is, of course, a replay of the 2023 Champions League final which saw City secure a famous 1-0 win over the Italian giants to both win the trophy for the first time in our history and secure a historic Treble.

However, the boss dismissed any notion that memories of that famous night in Istanbul would serve as inspiration at the Etihad tomorrow evening.

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Instead, the boss – who revealed he had watched a replay of the final for the first time yesterday – said it was all about the here and now.

“It’s not about inspiration or emotion, I am so cold on that,” Pep stressed.

“They have to know what they have to do. They have to adjust something.

“The way they attack is so difficult to control.

“It’s the first game of eight game group stage. We know what we have to do.”