Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain believes they face a difficult task in the last 16 of the Champions League after drawing RB Leipzig.
Pep Guardiola's men will take on the Bundesliga side in the knockout stages next February, having faced them twice in the group stages last term.
On that occasion, City opened their European campaign with a 6-3 rout at the Etihad Stadium, before losing the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena.
Having dodged heavyweight foes such as Paris Saint-Germain and Milan, City have theoretically one of the easier ties on paper, but Begiristain says they will not take their opponent lightly.
"Leipzig are not new ones in this competition - they are doing an unbelievable job," he said. "They are in Europe, always, and they are fighting us in the last 16. They are growing as a club and growing as a project.
"This is German football - very open, box-to-box, which we don't like too much, because we like to have the control. It's going to be difficult, this kind of football.
“We are going to meet old friends - we played last season against them. They were very open games, and we can be sure they will be very attractive games."
In comparison to their rivals, City have indeed been handed a kind draw, with Liverpool facing Real Madrid and Bayern Munich squaring up with Paris Saint-Germain.
With possibly two of the last four tournament winners set to miss out on the quarter-finals, Begiristain feels it shows the increased competition within the Champions League.
"Some big names and big clubs are already out - some of them are now not playing in Europe because they were last in the group," he noted.
"It shows how difficult it is in this competition. Everyone has to respect their opponent in this competition and that is what we try to do.
"Liverpool and Real Madrid are two unbelievable clubs, and they were two of the candidates to win, but one will be out.
"But still the ones who are there in the quarter-finals are going to deserve to be there. We want to be one of them."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
