Pep Guardiola has dampened expectations of Manchester Metropolis happening to win the Champions League, claiming his crew are “not prepared” and “far-off”.
Metropolis moved fourth within the 36-team standings by claiming a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Actual Madrid on Wednesday.
Rodrygo put Madrid forward on the Santiago Bernabeu, however targets from Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland accomplished the comeback earlier than half-time.
Metropolis held Madrid at arm’s size after the interval, with Los Blancos failing to register one other shot on course, however Guardiola doesn’t consider meaning his crew must be thought-about among the many favourites to win the match.
He informed TNT Sports activities: “We’re not prepared. We’re away. In February, we will probably be higher.
“These sorts of video games, we now have been right here earlier than and performed higher and misplaced. The gamers made an enormous effort however we nonetheless have a lot to enhance.
“May very well be higher. So tough right here. 4 or 5 gamers performed for the primary time right here. Profitable right here, we now have to be completely satisfied by way of factors, particularly. We have now 13 and it’s in our fingers to complete within the prime eight. That’s the goal.”
In response to Opta’s supercomputer, Metropolis have a ten.3% likelihood of successful their second European crown.
For the reason that begin of final season, Actual Madrid have now misplaced 5 of their league section video games within the UEFA Champions League.
That’s as many as they misplaced within the group stage of the competitors from 2019-20 to 2023-24 mixed. pic.twitter.com/gDArjQQBMq
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 10, 2025
Haaland transformed the winner from the penalty spot, after he was fouled by Antonio Rudiger. The 25-year-old has now scored 55 Champions League targets, whereas he has netted 51 instances within the 50 matches he has began within the competitors.
“His numbers converse for themselves,” Guardiola stated of Haaland.
“We have now to search out him extra, he must be concerned within the recreation. Within the final couple of video games he hasn’t been within the recreation, so we now have to discover a strategy to discover him extra.”
This was Metropolis’s first away win within the Champions League after falling 1-0 behind since April 2021, once they beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1.
“Troublesome to come back right here, it’s a troublesome place,” Haaland informed TNT Sports activities. “The sport was a bit chaotic, we couldn’t actually management it.
“This can be a place you wish to play, these are video games you wish to play. With this new format within the Champions League, you get to play extra video games, which is sweet. I prefer it.
Whereas Haaland proved decisive, Madrid’s talisman Kylian Mbappe was not deemed match sufficient to characteristic from the bench as he nurses a muscular harm.
Requested if it was a lift to not go up towards Mbappe, Haaland stated: “We find out about their accidents, we now have some too however they’ve many.
“You don’t need anybody to be injured however we anticipated him to play. I anticipated to come back up towards Kylian right now. However when a participant like that’s out, you’re not completely satisfied since you wish to play one of the best, but it surely offers you a little bit of a psychological increase.”
