The Italian manager has given his statement on which team would probably win the Champions League.
The Italian manager has given his statement on which team would probably win the Champions League.
The UEFA Champions League will start today, making it´s grand return after Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City won the tournament in 2022 against Inter Milan in Istanbul being the first Champions League title for the English club.
Real Madrid will make its debut in tomorrow’s September 20th match where they will be facing Union Berlin at the group stage. Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid’s manager, has given his statements on a new beginning for his team in a new edition of the UEFA’s Champions League where he actually already predicted the favorite team to win the 2023 tournament, and Pep Guardiola should be flattered for his words.
“City is the favorite because it has a squad that allowed it to win last year, which has not changed much and, above all, because it is the Champions League winner. In the final stage of the tournament there are always surprises, but today, they are the favorites.” Ancelotti expressed during a press conference a day before the beginning of the Champions League.
Ancelotti said that Real Madrid’s duties for this edition is at least to be at the semifinals of the tournament, “Real Madrid’s goal is to get through the group stage, the round of 16, the quarterfinals… but the main goal for us is to compete until the end. We have to be in the top four, we can say it without having too much pressure.” and added “It’s a goal we can achieve.”.
Pep Guardiola doesn’t think they have done enough
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola doesn’t think they have done anything at all by winning the first Champions League in 2022 against Inter Milan, “For our club to win the Champions League is incredible, but if you look at it in perspective, how many clubs have won the Champions League? Many. So we haven’t done anything special with just one, although we are immensely proud of it”.
Manchester City’s manager said it would be easier now that they have conquered their first Champions League title as the first one is the most difficult to achieve. Manchester City will face Belgrade’s Red Star in week one of the group stage.
Guardiola said that winning the treble last year, the club’s mentality hasn’t changed at all, “Every season we start the competition with the first match, and the goal is always to win. First the group stage, then the round of 16, try to win. We don’t change when we don’t win”.