Guardiola's City buoyant for visit of Moenchengladbach
Pep Guardiola says Manchester City are not yet ready to compete with Europe's elite but his side will be confident of opening their Champions League campaign with victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday.
The Spaniard could hardly have started his City reign more impressively with four consecutive Premier League wins and a crushing Champions League playoff defeat of Steaua Bucharest.
But Guardiola, twice a Champions League winner as coach of Barcelona, has quickly moved to dampen expectations.
"Until now, in the Premier League it has been okay -- but to compete against the best clubs in Europe, in this moment with the way we are playing, we are not able to," Guardiola said.
The comment was all the more surprising as it came after Saturday's impressive 2-1 victory at Jose Mourinho's Manchester United.
Even without top striker Sergio Aguero, who was suspended but will be available on Tuesday, City oozed confidence.
The same cannot be said of Moenchengladbach, who City beat twice in the group phase last season before going on to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
The Bundesliga side were beaten 3-1 at SC Freiburg over the weekend, interrupting what had been a bright start to the season for Andre Schubert's men.
Fourth in the Bundesliga last season, Moenchengladbach had crushed BSC Young Boys 9-2 on aggregate in the Champions League play-offs and opened their domestic campaign with a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Brazilian midfielder Raffael, however, said Saturday's defeat would not impact on their trip to the Etihad.
"I'm not anxious about the meeting with Man City, as it will be a completely different game. We aren't afraid of any team," he told the club's website.
City represent a huge challenge though, especially given Guardiola's pedigree in the competition.
He has never failed to reach at least the semi-finals in seven previous seasons coaching in the competition and, whatever he says about City's readiness, he will surely be disappointed if his new club are not still alive in May.
Saturday's win at Old Trafford meant Guardiola became the first City manager to win his first six games in charge and there are positive signs that his tried and tested methods are already being taken on board by his squad.
Barca seek response against Celtic after Alaves shock
Barcelona are eyeing their Champions League opener against Celtic on Tuesday as a chance to make amends for their shock 2-1 defeat at home to La Liga newcomers Alaves on Saturday.
With many of his players in action with their international sides in midweek, coach Luis Enrique rotated his squad, resting regulars Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba and talisman Lionel Messi.
The decision backfired and Alaves, playing in the top flight for the first time in a decade, made the most of their few chances, frustrating the champions even after Suarez, Messi and Iniesta came on.
Ibai Gomez's 64th minute strike won the game for the Basques after Jeremy Mathieu had cancelled out Deyverson's surprise opener.
"We made a lot of changes so the freshest players could play but we were fragile in defence and we have to look at that," said Luis Enrique.
"Conceding the second goal after an error of ours was a big blow for the players but on Tuesday we're playing the Champions League and that's another story. In that competition you pay dearly for your errors."
Luis Enrique is expected to field his first choice 11 against Celtic, so Suarez will meet up with his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers presided over the Uruguayan's best two seasons in England, compelling Barcelona to pay the Merseyside club 81 million euros ($90.97 million) for him in 2014.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is the coach's only doubt after he missed the Alaves game with a muscle strain.
Celtic head to Spain on a high after thrashing Glasgow rivals Rangers 5-1 on Saturday in the first league Old Firm derby in over four years to stay top of the Scottish Premiership.
Rodgers is still without lead striker Leigh Griffiths through a torn hamstring injury but new signing Moussa Dembele proved more than an able replacement against Rangers, scoring his first professional hat-trick.
Celtic were beaten 6-1 on their last visit to the Nou Camp in December 2013, but Dembele believes they can get something this time.
"We are going there to give everything and try to get a result," he said.
"When you start a game of football, even if it’s against the best team in the world, you have to go there and show what we can do and give everything to try and get a result."
Wenger back on familiar ground for opener
Arsenal's long-serving manager Arsene Wenger will feel at home when he takes his team to the Parc des Princes for Tuesday's Champions League opening Group A match against Paris St Germain.
A regular visitor to the French capital, the Strasbourg-born Wenger has often been linked in the past with an executive role at PSG when he finally leaves Arsenal, the club he joined in 1996.
Since then the London side have qualified for the Champions League in every full season of his management.
For the last 16 years in succession they have reached the second stage of the competition, only to suffer the frustration of defeat in the first knockout round for six seasons in a row.
Along with PSG, they must be regarded as favourites to qualify again from a group also including Basel and Bulgarian side Ludogorets.
Arsenal, who have a good record on recent visits to France, have recovered from taking a single point from their opening two Premier League games, winning the next two to reach sixth place in the table.
They needed a disputed late penalty, however, to beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.
PSG were also involved in late drama in their weekend game, although it went against them. Visitors St Etienne scored in the final minute on Friday to force a 1-1 draw.
That left the champions three points behind Monaco, who had beaten them 3-1 in the previous league fixture.
New coach Unai Emery, who arrived from Sevilla to replace Laurent Blanc in the close-season, lost important players to the Premier League in Zlatan Ibrahimovic and defender David Luiz but was pleased to keep influential midfielder Blaise Matuidi.
One of those recruited will be familiar to Arsenal. Hatem Ben Arfa spent four years in England with Newcastle United and Hull City.
"It's a squad that has won a lot and that has developed while winning," Emery told Uefa's official website.
"I've arrived at a club that want to keep on winning and to kick on to the next level. That's the challenge and it's a difficult one. The demands are very high."
So they are on Wenger, who made something of a rod for his own back by winning the League and FA Cup double twice within six years of arriving at Arsenal, then went from 2005 to 2014 without a major trophy.
He must do without injured club captain Per Mertesacker on Tuesday but French international striker Olivier Giroud is back in contention for a place.
