Manchester City relishing reunion with Inter

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City is braced for its Champions League reunion with Inter Milan at the start of an expanded tournament that will be "so tough" for the 2023 winner.

Pep Guardiola's team beat Inter 1-0 in the final two seasons ago, as Rodri's goal clinched a first Champions League crown for the Manchester side on a memorable night in Istanbul.

Inter visits the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in City's first experience of the competition's new format, in which 36 teams compete in one league and play eight fixtures each instead of the traditional group stage with six matches.

City defender Manuel Akanji is not a fan of the new model because of the extra burden it will place on players in a grueling season, which will conclude with Guardiola's men competing in the Club World Cup in the United States.

"It's getting more complicated with the league. You play different teams, and then Inter don't have the same opponents as us. It's just got bigger, more games," Akanji said.

"Then we have the Club World Cup at the end of the season. It's just game after game, and I don't know how it will work out over the next couple of years.

"It's so tough, you don't just think about this season, but also next season. When do we do holidays? There are no breaks in winter.

"If we are lucky we get two weeks, and then we need to be back and into next season. There's no end to it. I don't know how it works out. Maybe I'll retire at 30!"

Despite his complaints, the 29-year-old Akanji is relishing the chance to face Inter again after that treble-winning triumph 15 months ago.

It was a cathartic victory for City after a series of crushing Champions League disappointments during the Guardiola era, including a 2021 final loss to Chelsea.

City had to dig deep before Rodri finally broke down Inter's well-drilled defense in the second half of a tense clash at the Ataturk Stadium.

'Good memories'

"I'm looking forward to it, even with the new format," Akanji said.

"I think the old one was better, but we go up against the best teams still, and we start with a great game against Inter. The last time we played them was in the final, so there will be good memories for us."

City's Champions League title defense was ended by eventual winner Real Madrid last season, with the Spanish side emerging victorious from a quarterfinal penalty shoot-out in Manchester.

But, City's latest painful European exit stung a lot less thanks to the warm memories of its victory against Inter the year before.

It will be fascinating to see how Guardiola goes about competing for another European title and a fifth successive Premier League crown amid the hearing into alleged financial breaches that could plunge the club into turmoil.

The independent commission hearing into 115 Premier League charges against City began on Monday.

City strongly denies any wrongdoing, but potentially faces a severe points deduction or even expulsion from the league if the verdict, which is not expected until 2025, finds the club guilty.

In the meantime, City extended its 100 percent start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win against Brentford on Saturday.

Significantly, influential midfielder Rodri played his first 45 minutes of the season in the second half, after recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered during Spain's Euro 2024 final victory over England.

With England defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker also making their first starts this term, Guardiola is close to having all his stars available just in time for what will be a hectic period.

"Rodri came on there and played really well. He played 45 and I asked him how he felt, and he said he felt good. He is so important for us," Guardiola said.

"Kyle's first minutes, John's first minutes. It's really good to have that."

AFP