Manchester City are aiming to put two disappointing Champions League campaigns behind them as they target the title they won in 2023. The club now know their eight opponents in the revamped 32-team league phase, with the draw placing them against PSG, Barcelona, Sporting, Porto, Napoli, RB Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens.
Maresca's Men Seek Strong Start
Manager Enzo Maresca is aware that his side need a positive opening to this season's competition to avoid another tense league phase. City only just scraped into the playoff round when the new format debuted in 2024/25, finishing 22nd out of 32 and then losing to Real Madrid in the playoffs.
The 2025/26 campaign also had its difficulties, although City did manage to finish inside the top eight. That spared them a playoff round, but they were still eliminated by Real Madrid in the round of 16.
Points Target for Top Eight
With the fixtures now confirmed, supporters are being asked to predict how many points City will collect from their eight league matches. For context, 16 points from a possible 24 has been the threshold needed to finish in the top eight in both seasons since the new format was introduced.
Readers can cast their vote in the poll to indicate how many points they expect City to win this time around.
