Guardiola: Man City apparently not contenders for Champions League

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to show immediate improvement in the Champions League to confound expectations of lifting a second European crown. 

City kick-start their 2025-26 campaign in Europe against Serie A champions Napoli on Thursday, with Kevin De Bruyne returning to the Etihad Stadium for the first time. 

Guardiola and City endured their first trophyless season in eight years in 2024-25 and have undergone a squad overhaul in the summer to try and compete for titles again.

Their vulnerability was particularly on show in the Champions League last season after scraping through to the knockout play-off round as they finished 22nd in the league phase. 

The Citizens were knocked out in the play-offs by Real Madrid, while also suffering chastening defeats to Sporting CP and Juventus during an unprecedented run of results. 

Despite winning the competition in 2023, City are not talked about as among the favourites this year, though the Opta supercomputer has handed them a 9% probability of winning the title. Only Paris Saint-Germain (11%), Arsenal (18%) and Liverpool (20%) are ranked higher. 

However, Guardiola wants a better result than they managed last season, when they played out a goalless draw with another Italian opposition, against Inter. 

"Apparently we are not [contenders]," Guardiola told reporters. "Just enjoy the moment, we are happy to be here after the path we have been [on] so we are just focusing on tomorrow and the game we have to play and starting well in this competition.

"We have more games than in previous seasons, but if you start with a bad result it can be difficult. Last season we drew the first game against Inter, and hopefully we can do better."

There will also be an emotional reunion for Guardiola and De Bruyne, with the Belgian midfielder returning to Manchester for the first time since his summer switch to Naples. 

De Bruyne made 422 appearances for City in all competitions, scoring 108 goals and registering 170 assists, while also lifting 16 trophies across his 10-year spell at the club. 

Indeed, in the Champions League, he recorded 25 assists for the Citizens, 10 more than any other player for the club in the competition.

But Guardiola acknowledged that De Bruyne still had the ability to haunt his former employers, while also highlighting the threat of Scott McTominay and managerial prowess of Antonio Conte in the opposite dugout.

Guardiola has faced Conte on seven occasions across all competitions, while he has lost (four) more than he has won (three).

Of managers with at least two wins over the Spaniard, Conte is one of only three individuals who have won more often than they have lost against Guardiola, along with Jurgen Klopp (11 wins, 10 defeats) and Luis Enrique (three wins, two defeats).

McTominay, meanwhile, was named the Serie A MVP in his debut season in Italy after registering 16 goal involvements (12 goals, four assists) in 34 top-flight appearances. 

"[I am looking forward to seeing him] after the game," Guardiola said of his reunion with De Bruyne. 

"Of course it's nice to have him back. The players in that level [Serie A] adapt so quickly and they don't need that much time to adapt.

"[He adds] his incredible talent, assists, passing and goals in the final third and he is unique.

"Of course, he [Conte] can do good things because he is a top-class manager. Whatever [club] has his stamp on it, it is no surprise to me [that it will succeed]."

On McTominay, Guardiola added: "No [I'm not surprised], he has excellent conditions [in Naples].

"It was a team that won Serie A and when you win it means every player is always performing to his maximum level."