Guardiola: Manchester City are not favorites for the Champions League and I'm happy for De Bruyne's return

Pep Guardiola, the technical director of the first football team at Manchester City, commented on the match against Italian club Napoli in the Champions League.

Manchester City will kick off their Champions League campaign tomorrow, Thursday, in the first round of the group stage, when they host Italian champions Napoli.

The match between Manchester City and Napoli will see the return of Kevin De Bruyne, the Citizens' legend, to the Etihad Stadium after only 4 months since his departure from the team with whom he spent 10 years.

Pep Guardiola's press conference before Manchester City vs. Napoli match

Guardiola spoke about many things before the match, including Donnarumma's participation against Napoli, Kevin De Bruyne's return, and whether City are the favorites to win the competition.

Guardiola said: "I follow Kevin in Italy, it's not surprising what he's doing there. Players at this level adapt quickly and don't need time to adjust and perform well."

He continued: "I look forward to seeing him after the match, and I'm happy he's returning home, and he will receive a warm welcome from the fans, I'm sure of that."

He added: "Donnarumma is a world-class goalkeeper. We have always had great goalkeepers over the past ten years. Gigi is twenty-six years old, and he is performing at a high level and has a lot of experience."

He went on to talk about facing Napoli and Scott McTominay: "I am not surprised by what he is doing. He has the ideal conditions at Napoli, with a winning and ambitious team. When you win the league, it means the whole team gave their best."

He stressed: "We are not the favorites to win the Champions League this year. There are many strong clubs, but we are focusing on each match as it comes and not looking beyond that for now."

He continued: "We have more matches than in previous seasons, but if we start with a bad result, it could be difficult. Last season, we drew our first match against Inter, and we hope to perform better this time."

Haaland: Manchester City's Future Captain

He continued by talking about Haaland and his leadership role: "Haaland will be the captain, it's only a matter of time. He joined a team that wins everything, and with him, we won the Champions League, and he contributed to that."

He concluded: "Erling is a bit older, even though he is still young. He was signed for many years to be here, and he is a strong personality in the dressing room, so it is natural for him to be the captain in the future."