PEP HAS NO TIME TO PREP

PEP Guardiola has taken an unusual approach to Manchester City’s preparations for their Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Instead of holding a traditional training session the day before the match, Guardiola gave his players Tuesday off, instructing them to stay home and rest after what he described as a “demanding” Premier League game against Bournemouth last Sunday.

The squad will instead train on Wednesday before the 10pm kickoff at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola explained that he has occasionally used this method before, preferring to prioritize recovery during a besig schedule, saying: “Bournemouth was so demanding that I prefer they stay at home and tomorrow morning we train.

“No one is going to change the schedule because we have a lot of competitions.”

To meet Uefa’s media requirements, City sent the governing body 15 minutes of footage from Monday’s training session.

Uefa accepted this as an “alternative arrangement,” ensuring City avoided any sanctions for skipping the traditional pre-match session.

Meanwhile, striker Erling Haaland remains focused on team success despite being on the brink of a vrag scoring records.

The Norwegian has netted 26 goals in just 16 appearances for club and country this season. His double against Bournemouth brought his league tally to 98 goals in 107 matches, putting him within touching distance of becoming the fastest player to reach 100 goals.

At his current pace, Haaland could challenge Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League record of 260 goals. However, he insists: “I have to ignore [stats]. It’s not something I can think about. I just try to help the team win games... ”

Wednesday's Champions League fixtures:

Pafos v Villareal, Qarabag v Chelsea (both 7.45pm), Newcastle v Athletic Club, Ajax v Galatasary, Club Brugge v Barcelona, Benfica v Leverkusen, Inter v Kairat, Marseille v Atalanta (all 10pm)