But with City preparing for their Champions League opener against Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow following the 2-1 derby victory at Manchester United, Guardiola admits he is being extra cautious with Kompany in order to avoid the injury-cursed centre-half suffering new setbacks.
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Defending champions Real Madrid will leave no stone unturned as they are set and battle ready to defend their trophy this season.
“If you ask me whether we are ready to compete in Europe, we are not ready”.
Real’s first assignment in a group that also includes Borussia Dortmund and Legia Warsaw will be the visit of Ronaldo’s boyhood club, Sporting Lisbon, on Wednesday. “But the doctor said, with what happened in the past, we have to be careful”.
City have made a stunning start under Guardiola and following the 2-1 triumph over rivals Manchester United on Saturday, the Citizens now hold top spot in the Premier League table after four matches.
However, the focal point in Group C will be Guardiola’s attempt to elevate City to a level similar to that of Barca, with whom he won the title as a player in 1992 and twice more as coach.
“What Pep has done for the club will always be remembered, but he is the coach of Manchester City now – and I believe with their quality and Pep’s leadership they will be a club that will be challenging for the Champions League this season”.
“They are not going to give us an easy game, we want to start with a win, our focus is on nothing but this game”. This year’s UEFA Champions League encounter is sure to be extremely tough as nearly any team end up clinching the league.
Ancelotti refuses to look too far ahead though, with last year’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid, 1988 champions PSV Eindhoven and Russian newcomers Rostov completing an intriguing line-up in Group D. “He has something in his muscle and we believe that was a problem for the many injuries last season”.
French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, the two clear favourites in Group A, meet at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday as both sides target prolonged European adventures.
“We know that, so we try to dominate them with the way we want to play”.
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The game was rescheduled for Wednesday night at 7.45pm, much to the frustration of the German club, who were pushing for the match to be replayed in the afternoon or early evening to enable fans and supporters to get home. “It was a fight until the end and we’re very happy to get the win”.
