Manchester City cult hero Nedum Onuoha has given his thoughts on the Citizens’ Champions League group-stage draw.
The draw for the group stage of the competition took place on Thursday evening, with Manchester City finding out their eight group-stage opponents.
The Citizens are up against Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Galatasaray, Monaco and Villarreal in the Champions League group stage.
Pep Guardiola’s charges will travel to face Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt and Monaco, while they will host Dortmund, Napoli, Leverkusen and Galatasaray.
The Napoli game will be especially interesting, with Man City set for a swift reunion with Kevin De Bruyne.
Onuoha, speaking on BBC Sport, shared where he thinks City will finish in the group stage as he also expressed surprise over their Champions League campaign last term.
Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid in action with Abdukodir Khusanov of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at on February 19, 2025
Photo by Fantasista/Getty Images
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Nedum Onuoha backs Manchester City to finish in top eight of Champions League group stage
Onuoha admitted he was surprised by how well City did early on in the Champions League last term, only for things to go so wrong thereafter.
However, the former City defender backed the Citizens to finish in the top eight, which would put them in the knockout stages without having to negotiate a playoff.
“Last year was so uncharacteristic of Manchester City in the Champions League,” Onuoha said on BBC iPlayer.
“They won their first three games and then, before you know it, the wheels really fell off everywhere.
“I think this year, the objective will be to win it again and, based on their draw, I will be surprised if they aren’t in the top eight.”
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When Manchester City are set to play their Champions League fixtures
Man City will get their Champions League campaign under way in just over two weeks’ time, on September 16-18.
The second matchday is scheduled for September 30-October 1, with a further four games taking place in 2025.
These are scheduled for October 21-22, November 4-5, November 25-26, and December 9-10.
The final two league phase games will happen in January 2026, with every final match taking place on the same date.
The penultimate match will take place on January 20-21 before the final game on Wednesday, January 28.
Fixture dates and times specific to each club will be confirmed on Saturday 30 August.