When they defeated RB Leipzig 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League, coming from 0-2 down to win that group stage game, Manchester City extended their unbeaten record at the Etihad Stadium to 29 matches.
"Pep, help me understand what happened there…" 🎤
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2023
"That's Champions League" 🤷♂️
From trailing 2-0 to winning 3-2, Pep Guardiola highlights the quality of the opposition as Man City manage to make it five wins from five in Europe…@msmith850 | #UCL pic.twitter.com/dUFNnO2Euu
Pep Guardiola’s side has made their home stadium a fortress in recent years. Opposing teams have struggled to come away from Manchester with anything, whether that is domestically or in Europe. Their victory over their German opponents brought up 1,897 days since they were last beaten at home.
City On Course for a Fourth Straight Title Success
Manchester City is the bookmakers’ favorite to win a fourth straight title this season in England. Those looking to place a Premier League online bet on the defending champions can get odds of -175.
Pep Guardiola’s side are even shorter in the Premier League top 4 odds, as they are -8000 to secure qualification in the Champions League. They have finished in the top four in the Premier League table in each of the last 13 seasons.
City had defeated Newcastle United, Fulham, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, and Bournemouth at home this season. They were on course for a victory over rivals Liverpool until the visitors scored with 10 minutes to go through a Trent Alexander-Arnold goal.
The champions still have a long way to surpass the record for the longest unbeaten home record in the Premier League. That was set by Chelsea in 2008, as they went 86 games without defeat at Stamford Bridge between February 2004 and October 2008.
European Glory Could Arrive Again
As well as domestic success, Guardiola will be hoping his side’s home record can help them towards European glory once again. Last season, City won the UEFA Champions League for the first time after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final.
City have got off to an excellent start in this season’s competition as they have a 100% record after five games, winning all five matches in their group. They have already qualified for the knockout stages as group winners, which means they will be at home in the second leg of their last 16 tie.
Guardiola has now won the Champions League three times as a manager, as he also lifted the trophy in 2009 and 2011 as head coach of Barcelona. If victorious this year, he will match the record set by Carlo Ancelotti for the most titles as a manager.
Guardiola Here for Long-Term
A lot of City’s success at the Etihad Stadium is thanks to the high standards that Guardiola demands from his players in every game. He signed a contract extension last year which keeps him at the club until 2025.
BREAKING: Pep stays! The Man City boss has signed a two-year contract extension with the club, keeping Guardiola in charge until 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ 📝 pic.twitter.com/EC3vNoMylT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2022
Guardiola has expressed his desire to continue managing Manchester City for as long as possible, as he is enjoying being at the club. With silverware flowing season after season, the hierarchy at the European champions will be desperate to do all they can to keep him as long as possible.
If City continues to avoid defeat at home, they look set to replicate a lot of the success they had last season in their treble-winning campaign.
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