Sergio Aguero risks wrath of Man City fans with Champions League prediction
Manchester City are already in an excellent position to progress to the next round of the revamped Champions League and Sergio Aguero has had his say on their chances of winning
by Daniel Orme · The MirrorSergio Aguero believes Manchester City are one of the favourites for this year’s Champions League but still can’t see them reaching the final.
Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed a near perfect start to their first season in the revamped competition. After being held by Inter Milan in their opening group game, they have since seen off Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague 4-0 and 5-0 respectively.
It leaves them third in the standings behind Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Liverpool - who each have three wins from as many games. And former City striker Sergio Aguero has now given his thoughts on their chances of winning the competition.
While the Argentine believes Guardiola’s side will be among the contenders, there could be a surprise in store when it comes to the final. Speaking to Stake, Aguero said: “This is a new Champions League format, I think this year will be full of surprises.
“This format could help smaller teams to thrive and qualify to the next round. This might also complicate things for bigger clubs to qualify. I’ve always felt that the favourite to win the tournament is Manchester City, and then Real Madrid, but I also see a very strong Arsenal team.
“However, I do hope both Man City and Barca can conquer this edition. Even though I’ve seen City struggle in some Premier League matches this season, it is the same club we know, controlling the games from start to finish. But to tell you my prediction, I feel that this year’s final will have two teams that no one is expecting.”
City will be aiming to take another step towards the knockout rounds in their next European outing. They travel to Portugal for a showdown with Sporting Lisbon next month ahead of a clash with Feyenoord.
Who will win this year's Champions League? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Guardiola’s side then round off their group-stage fixtures with tough games against Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain before a final fixture against Club Brugge. One of the other sides that Aguero has backed to go far is Arsenal and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta last month claimed their campaign would only be a success if they won the competition.
"I'm extremely motivated," he said. "It's a competition that we love playing, every player loves playing and here we are again.
"Success, I think, at this level is actually to win it. But we made some bigger steps [last season] I think. We learn a lot from the experience. We had some great moments, some other moments that we have to do better and improve. We have to put those learnings into this season."
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