“Fu**, I don’t know” - Pep Guardiola makes honest admission on Manchester City’s UEFA Champions League hope

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he doesn’t know whether or not his team will win the Champions League this season, claiming it all depends on their performances.

Guardiola’s Manchester City are widely hailed as one of the best teams in Europe, but Champions League glory, thus far, has eluded them. They were tipped to go all the way last season, but a heroic comeback (6-5 aggregate win) from eventual winners Real Madrid knocked them out in the semi-final stage.

🔵 Man. City have won both of their previous games against Sevilla in the #UCL... https://t.co/GGHbv4gg3d

The defending Premier League champions kick off their 2022-23 Champions League campaign with a trip to Sevilla on Tuesday (September 6). Ahead of the Group H encounter, Guardiola faced the press, where he was asked whether or not his team would finally win the competition this season. Rolling his eyes, the Spanish manager replied (via Daily Mail):

“It depends on our performance. If it's not good then we will take punishments from the fans. I would love to have the story in Europe like Sevilla has. Man City is far away from what they have done in Europe. We are going to try again. Win it or not win it? F***, I don’t know.”

Manchester City, who have won the Premier League four times in the last five seasons, are currently second in the league standings with 14 points in six games. Arsenal are the league leaders, sitting at the top with 15 points from six matches.

Erling Haaland could have a field day in Manchester City’s Champions League clash against Sevilla

City’s new signing Erling Haaland has been nothing short of sensational this season, scoring 10 goals in 7 appearances across competitions. The Norwegian is set to play his first Champions League game as a Manchester City player against Sevilla on Tuesday and will look to make a telling impact.

The Andalusians are yet to register their first win in La Liga this season, drawing once and losing three of their four matches. In their last match, they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona and could endure a worse fate against City if they are not careful.

That time again... #UCL 💫 #mancity https://t.co/NfDIVxEmH3

Haaland thrives on space inside the box and Sevilla have been leaving plenty of it this season. Unless Lopetegui finds a way to plug the holes in time, it could be a long night for the hosts at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Tuesday.