Pep Guardiolas side celebrated winning a historic treble last term and in the process became only the fifth English club to win three consecutive league titles. It was a heroic effort from the Blues, who only reclaimed top spot from Arsenal in the final four weeks of the season.
Fresh from an uplifting season under Mikel Arteta, the Gunners adopted an eye-catching approach to the summer transfer window, highlighted by their British record fee for Declan Rice. Any concerns City may have held about other teams jostling for their Premier League crown could have been made worse by any added complications, such as trying to defending their Champions League trophy.
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However, the Champions League draw proved kind to Pep Guardiolas side and have placed their Premier League rivals on the back foot. City will kick-start the group stage on Tuesday by hosting Cverna Zvezda, who finished bottom of their Europa League group last season.
Their other two competitors in Group G are Young Boys and RB Leipzig. The Swiss side failed to make it past a Europa Conference League play-off last term; while City handed Leipzig a humbling 7-0 defeat in the second leg of their round of 16 tie, on the way to lifting the trophy.
While not wishing to overlook their opponents, even the most cynical City fan would struggle to be overly concerned about the clubs path to the knockout stages, This will allow the Blues to focus their energy on the league and attempt to create some distance at the top during the first half of the season.
