Manchester City will have to accept a more challenging season as it copes with injuries that make it harder to repeat the success of recent years, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of the Champions League game at Sporting on Tuesday.
Depleted by a number of injuries to key players, the Premier League champions saw a 32-game unbeaten league run ended with a loss at Bournemouth on Saturday after a midweek reverse at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup fourth round.
Guardiola said on Monday he was aware of the expectations surrounding his team but knew they were likely to suffer more defeats due to injuries and the increasing level of the opponents.
“I know our standards but we’ve lost just one game. Maybe we are going to lose again in the Premier League against Brighton and against Tottenham and against Liverpool,” Guardiola told reporters referring to their next three Premier League games.
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“We are just two points behind Liverpool who are a top-class team ... We’ve started well in the Champions League but I know people expect us to win 38 league games and win the treble every season as these are our standards.
“The reason it is difficult is because we have had a lot of absentees which can happen in some seasons.
“Sometimes, to win the treble, everything has to be on the same page with injuries, but this is not possible this time ... The teams are very strong and everything is more difficult and we have to accept that. That is the challenge.”
City will be without Ballon d’Or winner Rodrigo and Oscar Bobb for most of the campaign, while John Stones, Jack Grealish and Ruben Dias remain sidelined and did not travel to Portugal.
Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker still have problems despite being in the squad, Guardiola said, and Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho are improving while Erling Haaland is fit.
City, third in the Champions League standings after two wins and a draw, is looking for a third consecutive European win at Portuguese champions Sporting, who is eight but also have seven points and is unbeaten across all competitions this season.
Guardiola’s City side claimed a resounding 5-0 win at Sporting in the 2022 Champions League last 16.
“They play quite similar like we faced two seasons ago, the pattern is so clear,” Guardiola added.
“They have changed players but have the same manager and same mentality,” he said referring to Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, who will take over at Manchester United next week.
