Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have been handed a huge problem by UEFA.
The Premier League giants found out their Champions League opponents for the league phase of the competition on Thursday, with the draw producing some tough fixtures for the Citizens.
Guardiola would have been dreaming of a reunion with Kevin De Bruyne, and fate had it that the Man City legend would return to the Etihad Stadium to play against his former club.
Napoli are not the only strong team the Manchester club will face, as their European travels will see them take a trip to Real Madrid, while they will also host the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
UEFA released the date and time for every fixture on Saturday, and they have now caused Guardiola a huge problem relating to his ambition to win both the Champions League and Premier League this season.
Pep Guardiola looking stressed during Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur.
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Man City have Champions League matches before playing Arsenal and Liverpool
Man City will open up their Champions League campaign with a home match against Napoli, and fans of the Premier League giants will be over the moon to see De Bruyne return to Manchester.
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This will be a celebratory occasion, but what will worry Guardiola is that the contest comes right before Man City travel to Premier League rivals Arsenal on the Sunday.
The same issue will occur two months later, as City will play Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, 5 November, which will take place just days before the Manchester club host Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.
The positioning of these Champions League fixtures is not ideal for Guardiola before playing City’s two Premier League title rivals. However, there are some positives.
One is that both games are at home. Therefore, there will not be a lot of travelling involved before the two Premier League matches.
The other is that Liverpool play Real Madrid before facing City, although Arsenal have an easier game against Athletic Club ahead of hosting the Citizens.
This is the challenge that now faces Guardiola, and it will be up to the legendary coach to rotate correctly, to make sure his players are ready for all four games.
Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola celebrates with the European Cup trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League final football match between Inter Milan and Manchester City at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, on June 10, 2023.
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Man City’s Champions League fixtures in full
Manchester City will host Napoli and De Bruyne on 18 September before travelling to Monaco on October 1 and Villarreal on October 21.
The Premier League giants will then play Borussia Dortmund on 5 November, with Man City then welcoming Claudio Echeverri and his Bayer Leverkusen team to the Etihad Stadium on November 25.
Guardiola’s men will travel to Real Madrid on 10 December to close out 2025 in Europe, before playing Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray in January.
There are plenty of challenges within those fixtures for Man City, but that is what it takes for teams to become great, which the Manchester club already knows.