Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City will not be hit with a ban from the Champions League.
Reports surfaced earlier this week that City
could face this punishment if European football’s governing body UEFA
decides to take action over the club’s alleged attempts to circumvent
Financial Fair Play rulesUEFA, who fined City almost £50million and imposed further squad and spending limits on the club for breaching FFP in 2014, has since been considering its options in light of these fresh allegations, which City have consistently denied.
UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin this week confirmed an independent body is assessing the situation and formal investigation could follow.
Yet even if it does, Guardiola does not expect the matter to lead to a ban from Europe’s elite competition.
The City manager said: “We will not be banned, no. That’s what I think because I trust in my chairman, with my CEO and what they have explained to me. I trust in them.
“If it happens, because UEFA decide that, we will accept it and move forward.”
City, the Premier League leaders and champions, travel to Chelsea on Saturday – a game you can listen to live on talkSPORT, kick-off 5:30pm – looking to secure another notable away win over a potential title rival.
Guardiola’s side have already won at Arsenal and Tottenham this season and drawn at Liverpool.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Guardiola said: “We play against five hypothetical strong teams in the Premier League and tomorrow is the last one away, apart from Manchester United, who we have played at home.
“Our behaviour was good. At home we have been solid, scoring a lot of goals, creating a lot of chances, and away – maybe Tottenham was not our best performance and Liverpool neither – but we have competed like a solid team and that is a good thing.
“In these sort of games of course we want to win but I’m more focused on our behaviour. How we are as a team on those sort of stages. That’s what I want to see from my team.”
City claimed what Guardiola felt was a psychologically important victory at Chelsea early in last season’s title-winning campaign.
He said: “Last season winning there was more than three points. It showed we could do it. It was an important step for last season, the first important game away against the last champion.
“In that moment, it was important to say we can go anywhere and deliver a good performance – winning and with a good performance.
“And since we have continued in that vein and the target is to try to do it again.”
City are again without record scorer Sergio Aguero while Kevin De Bruyne, who scored the winner at Stamford Bridge last year, is also not ready to return
