Txiki Begiristain reveals Manchester City worry in aftermath of re-formatted UEFA Champions League draw

Manchester City director Txiki Begiristain has reacted to Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw.

The Manchester City official was in attendance at the newly-formatted UEFA Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday evening, as the Premier League champions discovered their opponents for the league-phase of the competition.

Pep Guardiola’s side will play eight matches against eight different opponents between September and January, with Manchester City needing to finish in the top eight of the 36-team league system to automatically qualify for the last-16.

The Sky Blues will be bidding to win the European competition for a second time in three seasons during 2024/25 season, and will face a repeat of the 2023 Champions League Final with a league-phase clash against Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City will welcome the Italian heavyweights, Club Brugge, Feyenoord and Sparta Praha to east Manchester City during the new-look league-phase stage of the competition.

The Cityzens will also face away trips to Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Sporting CP and Slovan Bratislava.

Reacting to the draw, director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Before we had to study three opponents, now we have to think about eight. When you play four at home and four away, I’m thinking more about the away opponents than the ones at home.

“It’s important to see the calendar, how it affects us and the Premier League. It depends on what you have before or in the following game. For that we need a deeper squad. We have a balanced squad, deep enough to compete in many competitions.

“We feel confident. We did very well in the last few seasons but of course we respect everyone. The target is to get [to the last-16].”

Manchester City will begin their UEFA Champions League campaign following the September international break, with fixtures for the league-phase due to be confirmed on Saturday 31 August.