Manchester City will find out who they will play during the league phase of the Champions League on Thursday.
The draw will take place at 6pm BST in Monaco, which is when all 36 teams who have qualified for the league phase of Europe’s biggest competition find out the eight teams they will play to try and book a place in the next round of the tournament.
The new Swiss format was considered a success after being rolled out last season; however, Man City were one team that struggled, as Pep Guardiola’s men did not finish in the top eight of the league.
This resulted in Man City being eliminated by Real Madrid in the Knockout phase play-offs, which is seen as a disaster from the point of view of the Manchester club.
Guardiola will be hoping his team fares better this time around, and there is one fixture the legendary coach and Man City fans will be dreaming of ahead of Thursday’s draw.
Pep Guardiola holding Kevin De Bruyne's ace during Manchester United v Manchester City.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Pep Guardiola would love a Kevin De Bruyne return to the Etihad Stadium
Manchester City are in pot one for Thursday’s Champions League draw and will play two teams from each of the four pots, but cannot face other English opponents.
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Some tricky challenges could come the Manchester club’s way, but with Napoli placed in pot three, that is a team everyone at Man City would love to host at the Etihad Stadium during the league phase.
The sole reason would be to see the return of Kevin De Bruyne after the club legend left Man City before moving to Napoli during the summer.
De Bruyne got an incredible farewell during his final game against Bournemouth last season, but City fans would love to welcome him back to the Etihad, while Guardiola would relish the challenge of trying to stop the Belgian star, whom he helped develop into one of the greatest players of all time.
Drawing Man City would also be a game the midfielder would enjoy playing, as competing against many of his former teammates would certainly be a fun experience for the Belgium international.
Toughest opponents Man City can face in the Champions League
The obvious team Man City will want to avoid playing in the league phase of this season’s Champions League is the current holders, Paris Saint-Germain, as many still view the Ligue 1 champions as the best in the world, and City’s meeting with the French side last season did not go very well.
The other from pot 1 is Real Madrid, and although Barcelona are a better team than their Spanish rivals, Man City have developed a bit of a rivalry with Los Blancos over the years; therefore, a little bit extra would be required to win this match.
From the other pots, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, and Galatasaray would all provide Man City with tough challenges, with Thursday revealing all when it comes to the Manchester club’s road to Budapest.