Manchester City’s Potential Opponents in the Champions League

This is a guest post from Andrew Moody.

Manchester City secured their qualification to the last eight of the Champions League on Tuesday night following a goalless draw at home to Dynamo Kyiv. Having done all the hard work in Ukraine in the first leg of the tie, there was no onus on Manuel Pellegrini’s men to chase the game in Manchester. Instead, with the visitors showing a reluctance to press forward, City were able to coast to the full-time whistle and make history by progressing to the quarter final stage of the competition for the first time ever.

Attention now turns to the draw, which takes place on Friday. City will surely hope to avoid the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, although a tie with another of the competition’s favourites, Bayern Munich, would be sure to be a tasty affair, bearing in mind the futures of both clubs’ managers.

Benfica and Wolfsburg would rank high among the list of teams City supporters hope to face. They would, on paper at least, be a far easier proposition for Pellegrini’s squad, but the Blues have not exactly convinced this season and any game will no doubt prove to be a challenge.

Whatever happens this season in the Champions League, it is fair to say that City’s form domestically has been hugely underwhelming. It is quite remarkable not to have recorded consecutive Premier League victories in more than five months, and Pellegrini’s side have been characterised by predictable football, a lack of creativity and defensive weakness. They must make some big additions in the summer.

With the arrival of Pep Guardiola, it is natural to imagine City as the team to beat next season, and you can log your Premier League predictions at thatsagoal.com. If the current Bayern Munich boss can get his new team to play with the same flair and fluidity that they show on a weekly basis in Germany, that you would hard pressed to look beyond the Citizens lifting the silverware.

However, the focus remains for the moment on this season and the Champions League draw. We all look forward seeing what Friday has in store.