Man City won't be training on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
Pep Guardiola has cancelled Manchester City's training session today ahead of their Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. City were set to train on Tuesday afternoon as part of their match preparations, with the first 15 minutes typically open to media under a UEFA broadcasting agreement.
However, the City stars have been given Tuesday off and will only regroup on the day of the game, marking a first in the club's history in European competition this century. On Monday, the squad had a training and recovery session at the City Football Academy following their match against Bournemouth. As per usual, those who didn't start the match underwent a more intense workout, with the winning team comprising Savinho, Tijjani Reijnders, Divine Mukasa, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rico Lewis and John Stones.
Guardiola then informed all players that there would be no training on Tuesday. It is anticipated that this unusual decision is aimed at aiding recovery, although the manager is expected to provide further details during a lunchtime press conference.
City are aiming for two victories from their two home European matches this month, either side of the November international break, to secure a top-eight position that will guarantee them direct qualification for the last-16. They face Dortmund on Wednesday and Leverkusen later in the month.
"We want this season to qualify in the top eight. We know how important it is to not have those two extra games," said captain Bernardo Silva after the win in Villarreal last month.
"But yeah, we're happy with our momentum right now, with the way the team is playing."
City currently sit on seven points following three matches, having secured victories against Villarreal and Napoli alongside a stalemate at Monaco.
Following their two fixtures at the Etihad this month, they travel to Real Madrid in December and Bodo Glimt in January before concluding the opening phase with a home encounter against Galatasaray.
Former City stars Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane are likely to receive warm welcomes at the Etihad should they feature in the Turkish side's travelling party.