Man City prepares for reunion with Inter, Akanji fears ‘tough’ schedule

Manchester City are preparing to face Inter Milan in the Champions League at the start of an expanded tournament that will be “so tough” for the 2023 winners.

Pep Guardiola’s team beat Inter 1-0 in the final two years ago, when Rodri scored to secure their first Champions League title on a memorable night in Istanbul.

Inter visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, City’s first test of the new competition format, which will see 36 teams compete in one table and play eight games each instead of the traditional six-match group stage.

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City defender Manuel Akanji is not a fan of the new model, as it places an additional burden on players in a busy season that culminates with Guardiola’s men taking part in the Club World Cup in the USA.

“With the league, things are getting more and more complicated. You play against different teams and Inter no longer have the same opponents as us. It’s just gotten bigger, there are more games,” said Akanji.

“Then we have the Club World Cup at the end of the season. It just goes on game by game and I don’t know how it will go in the next few years.”

“It’s so hard, you’re not just thinking about this season, but also the next one. When are we going on holiday? There are no breaks in the winter.”

“If we’re lucky, we’ll get two weeks and then we’ll have to be back and start the next season. There’s no end. I don’t know how it will go. Maybe I’ll retire at 30!”

Despite his discomfort, 29-year-old Akanji is looking forward to the chance to face Inter again after their treble triumph 15 months ago.

For City, it was a cathartic victory after a series of crushing Champions League disappointments during the Guardiola era, including a final defeat to Chelsea in 2021.

City had to dig deep before Rodri finally broke through Inter’s well-drilled defence in the second half of a thrilling match at the Atatürk Stadium.

– “Beautiful memories” –

“I’m looking forward to it, even with the new format,” said Akanji.

“I think the old one was better, but we still compete against the best teams and we start with a great game against Inter. Last time we played against them in the final, so nice memories for us.”

City’s defence of their Champions League title was ended by eventual winners Real Madrid last season, when the Spaniards emerged victorious on penalties in the quarter-finals in Manchester.

But City’s recent painful exit from the European Championship hurt far less thanks to the fond memories of the win against Inter.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola approaches the fight for another European title and his fifth Premier League title in a row, despite the financial misdeeds scandal that could plunge the club into turmoil.

On Monday, an independent commission began hearing on 115 charges brought by the Premier League for alleged financial violations against City.

City denies any wrongdoing but faces a heavy points deduction or even expulsion from the league if the verdict, which is not expected until 2025, finds the club guilty.

Meanwhile, City extended their 100 percent start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.

Significantly, influential Spanish midfielder Rodri played his first 45 minutes of the season in the second half after sustaining a thigh injury in the 2024 Euro final against England.

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With English defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker also making their first starts this season, Guardiola has almost all of his stars at his disposal, just in time for a hectic period.

“Rodri came in and played really well. He played 45 minutes and I asked him how he felt and he said he felt good. He is so important for us,” Guardiola said.

“Kyle the first few minutes, John the first few minutes. It’s really good to have that.”