Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's current injury problems will make it harder for them to repeat the success of recent years.
Depleted by a number of injuries to key players, the Premier League champions saw a 32-game unbeaten league run ended by a loss at Bournemouth on Saturday after a midweek reverse at Tottenham in the EFL Cup fourth round, marking the first time City have lost successive matches in all competitions since September 2023.
While Guardiola says he is aware of the expectations surrounding his team, he knew they were likely to suffer more defeats due to injuries and the increasing level of their 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.
"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 have not travelled 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 sit third in the Champions League standings after two wins and a draw and are looking for a third consecutive European win at Portuguese champions Sporting CP, who are eighth but also have seven points and are unbeaten across all competitions this season.
Guardiola's side claimed a resounding 5-0 win at Sporting when they met in the 2022 Champions League last 16, and are looking to extend their record run of unbeaten games to 27 in the competition.
"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 at the start of the international break.
Michel urges Girona to rise to the occasion against out-of-form Madrid
Girona boss Michel has urged his players to prove themselves against "one of the best teams in the world" when they face Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday.
Michel's side, who finished third in the Spanish top-flight last season, have failed to replicate that form, currently occupying eighth place after 15 games of their campaign.
Girona come into the clash with Carlo Ancelotti's side on the back of a shock defeat to fourth-tier side Logrones in the Copa del Rey in midweek.
They have also failed to win any of their last three games in all competitions, scoring just two goals, which both came in a 2-2 draw with Villarreal in their last league match.
Though Girona have not lost any of their last four games in LaLiga (W3 D1), which is their longest unbeaten run in the competition this season, Michel highlighted his side's attack as an issue so far this term.
"We are a better team in defence than last year. However, we need to improve in attack, to finish plays," Michel told reporters.
"When you go down you have to get up as soon as possible and that day is tomorrow."
But Madrid have been in a slump of their own, losing four of their last seven games across all competitions, including a midweek defeat to Athletic Bilbao that saw their longest unbeaten run away from home in LaLiga come to an end (W13 D8).
Despite their recent form, Michel was under no illusions about the task at hand for his players, insisting his side must play a "perfect" game to get a result on Saturday.
"Tomorrow I expect what it is, the Champions League and LaLiga winners. A great team with great players," he added.
"We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and we have to play a perfect game.
"There is no need to motivate the players for a game against Real Madrid."
And looking at recent meetings between the two sides, the odds are stacked against Michel's side.
Madrid have won their last two meetings with Girona in LaLiga, keeping clean sheets in both, and can make it three wins in a row against the Catalan side for the first time in the top-flight.
Michel has also struggled against Los Blancos in LaLiga. He has lost two of his four league meetings with Carlo Ancelotti (W1 D1).
Only against Diego Simeone (W1 L4) has he suffered more defeats as Girona boss in the competition (also two against Imanol Alguacil, Manuel Pellegrini and Quique Setien).
Neuer and Gnabry out of Bayern's clash with Heidenheim
Manuel Neuer and Serge Gnabry will be absent when Bayern Munich take on Heidenheim in the Bundesliga.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern, who lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal in midweek, were already without top scorer Harry Kane.
Now two of his team-mates have joined him on the treatment table.
Neuer, who was sent off against Leverkusen, has an issue with his ribs, while Vincent Kompany did not specify Gnabry's injury.
"Manuel Neuer has discomfort with his ribs. It also looks like Serge Gnabry won't be involved either. Aleksandar Pavlovic is available," Kompany told reporters.
"Pavlo is available. There's no limit on how long he can play. He's not played for a while, but he's available."
Kompany did, though, provide a positive update on Kane.
"Things are looking good. I don't want to give a timeline and put our medical team under pressure. It could well be that he plays again this year. But everything needs to go perfectly," Kompany said of Kane.
Bayern are firmly in control in the Bundesliga and are unbeaten after 12 games with 30 points, four more than second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
They will fancy their chances of maintaining that unbeaten streak when they take on relegation-threatened Heidenheim, who have lost their last four league games.
However, Kompany warned against complacency.
"They're playing in Europe. It's always tough to be competitive in both competitions. What Heidenheim have done over the last 20 years is good," Kompany said.
"They're a very solid club. They won't panic now. We don't differentiate in how we prepare. It'll be another important game for us."
Heidenheim won their last Bundesliga game against Bayern 3-2 – they became the first promoted team in the league's history to come from two goals down to beat the Bavarians.
Red Bulls star Morgan embracing underdog mentality for MLS Cup
Lewis Morgan is embracing the underdog spirit ahead of Saturday's MLS Cup final, as the New York Red Bulls take on the LA Galaxy.
The Red Bulls will feature in their first MLS Cup final since 2008, while the Galaxy are returning to the show-piece match after a 10-year absence.
This will be the first meeting between the Galaxy and Red Bulls since April 2021, a 3-2 home win for LA.
The Galaxy, who have played in nine MLS Cup finals previously, progressed in each of the previous two postseason ties between the sides, advancing in the 2001 quarterfinals in sudden-death extra time as well as in the 2011 conference semifinals.
Greg Vanney's Galaxy team are the favourites, but Red Bulls playmaker Morgan is happy with the underdog label.
"We've known we've been underdogs going into loads of the games, we've embraced that, and we'll embrace that again this weekend," said Morgan.
"We're not expected to go there and run all over LA Galaxy. We're expected to go there and make things difficult and try and impose our style of football, which is exactly what we're going to try to do."
Red Bulls coach Sandro Schwarz said: "Our main focus has to be our daily training session, our video session and not to think too much about what can happen after the game or about the history of this title or something like that.
"Only to think about what we need on the field."
The Red Bulls' hopes have been buoyed by the fact that the Galaxy will be without their midfield talisman Riqui Puig, who is injured.
Though Puig's absence has only increased the motivation within Vanney's squad.
"We have to win for Riqui," Maya Yoshida said.
Galaxy winger Joseph Paintsil added: "I'm really sad for him, because this is also something that really means a lot to him.
"So for us as players, we are not only doing this for ourselves, we are also doing this for him."
Vanney said: "We're going to miss Riqui. There's not another player in the league, honestly, that's like him.
"He's special and unique, and he does special things for us. He can turn a game on a dime in one quick play – he's extraordinary.
"We're going to have to take up that slack in a collective way, both with and without the ball and how we move the ball quickly and the things that we do in attack.
"But also in the ways that we do defensively, in trying to clog things up, create turnovers, do some things that maybe with Riqui, we don't have to do as much, but we're going to need to do a little bit more of it [Saturday]."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LA Galaxy - Gabriel Pec
Pec has had a standout season in attack for the Galaxy, scoring 21 goals in all competitions and adding 16 assists.
With Puig out, Pec will be one of the players Vanney needs to step up and deliver, as he has done all campaign.
Red Bulls - Emil Forsberg
Forsberg has provided the experience and guile that had previously been missing in attack for the Red Bulls, since his January switch from RB Leipzig.
The Swede has scored 10 MLS goals and set up a further four. If he is on form, he could prove the difference-maker.
MATCH PREDICTION: LA GALAXY WIN
The Red Bulls may be embracing the underdog tag, but the supercomputer is backing the Galaxy to get over the line.
They outscored their opponents 16-3 in their four matches so far in the 2024 postseason, the best goal difference of any team en route to the MLS Cup final. Only Toronto FC (17 in 2016) scored more goals in a single postseason than the Galaxy's 16 this year.
The Galaxy have reached the MLS Cup final for the 10th time, twice as many as any other team in league history (D.C. United, New England Revolution). After losing in their first three MLS Cup Final appearances, LA have won five of their last six outings dating back to 2002, only losing on penalties to Real Salt Lake in 2009.
The Red Bulls, who won 11 of 34 matches during the 2024 regular season, are the first team to reach the MLS Cup final despite winning less than one-third of their games.
New York's 1.38 points per match is the lowest of any MLS Cup finalist since Salt Lake in 2009 (1.33), so that is one possible omen in their favour.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
LA Galaxy - 50.9%
New York Red Bulls - 24.2%
Draw - 24.9%
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