After Manchester City’s defeat to Sporting Lisbon, Pep Guardiola took a subtle jab at Manchester United, pointing out their absence from this year’s Champions League.
City’s 4-1 loss in Lisbon marked their third consecutive defeat, with Sporting’s triumph led by Ruben Amorim, who is set to become United’s new manager on November 11. ..Continue Reading
This impressive win by Amorim has stirred excitement among United fans eager to see him revive the club’s fortunes in Manchester.
Amorim, one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, is seen as a potential solution for United, who currently sit 13th in the Premier League, with only three wins out of ten games.
The two managers will face each other in the Manchester derby on December 15 at the Etihad, with the return game scheduled for April 25. The Manchester clubs have also clashed in the last two FA Cup finals, each securing one victory.
After the Lisbon defeat, Guardiola was quick to note that he and Amorim wouldn’t be meeting in Europe this season, a reminder of United’s absence from the competition.
‘We will face them two times in the Premier League and maybe the FA Cup. In the Champions League it is not possible,’ Guardiola told a press conference.
‘Then we will see. I learn from all managers I face. Ruben I think as well. But my concern is on getting us back to our best which we will try to do.’
United struggled to an underwhelming eighth-place finish last season, which would have left them without any European competition this year.
However, their FA Cup victory over City granted them a spot in the Europa League, where Ruud van Nistelrooy led the team in their fourth match of the campaign on Thursday night against PAOK.
