Training Gallery: Man City put together final preparations ahead of Champions League group stage opener vs Red Star Belgrade

Manchester City have put together their final preparations before embarking on their first defence of a UEFA Champions League title this week.

Red Star Belgrade are City’s first opponents in the latest edition of Europe’s premier club competition, with Pep Guardiola’s side fresh off the back of both a Champions League triumph and subsequent UEFA Super Cup win against Sevilla last month.

The Serbian club’s visit to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night is the first of six matches in the group stage of the competition, with Manchester City also drawn to face RB Leipzig of Germany and BSC Young Boys of Switzerland.

City boss Pep Guardiola will not have the luxury of having a fully-fit squad for the clash against Red Star Belgrade, with all of John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jack Grealish confirmed to be absent from the contest.

A 19-man senior first-team squad list took part in training on Monday afternoon, with the confirmed selection of players spotted during the open session of training below:

Ahead of the UEFA Champions League group stage opener between Manchester City and Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday night, here is a comprehensive selection of photographs from the final training session at the City Football Academy!