Key City updates as they prepare for Borussia Dortmund visit

Manchester City v Borussia Dortmund preview

City host Borussia Dortmund as they look to move a step closer to automatic Champions League progression

Author | Macca

Stadium | Etihad Stadium

City v Napoli earlier in the season

Updates from Pep Guardiola's press conference

The City boss explained that his decision to give the players an extra day off on Tuesday and resume training on Wednesday morning was because it "was such a demanding game against Bournemouth" and the squad would benefit more from additional rest.

On Dortmund having an extra day to prepare, he said: "We are used to it. Nobody is going to change the schedule. I don't like it but it is what it is."

Guardiola noted that Wednesday’s opponents "always perform their best" in the Champions League and "they always arrive in the later stages" of the competition, warning that it would not be "an easy" game.

Asked whether he felt better prepared for the new format this season, he replied: "Maybe I have not been clear enough. I have said a thousand, million times that it is not about being not prepared last season. Last season, we were injured. Fifty-percent of the squad were injured during that period when there are a lot of games."

He acknowledged that the period after the next international break is "demanding" and said it will be crucial to "handle the intensity" amid a busy fixture schedule. Guardiola added: "One decade I have been here, so I have been in this situation many times."

GM Super News | Premier League | City leapfrog Bournemouth into second place https://t.co/TLVXrhCi4S

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Could Cherki start to become City's key player?

This was the question we asked City Season Ticket holder Beth Lee for her opinion of Rayan Cherki's impact since he signed in the summer.

Despite his age, faltering fitness record and diminishing ability to compete consistently for 90 minutes at the highest level, Manchester City fans were entitled to feel uneasy about where their creativity would come from once Kevin De Bruyne departed at the end of last season.

Many saw three possible solutions: promoting Phil Foden into the creative hub of Pep Guardiola’s midfield, or signing a marquee playmaker such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz or Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.

Now, in early November, neither of those options has materialised. Had supporters been told this at the end of last season, a sense of panic might have set in about what the future would hold.

For Foden, the standout product of City’s academy, this season has brought a more central role in midfield, linking Nico González’s defensive composure with Rayan Cherki’s advanced creative instincts. Guardiola has often spoken about the difficulty of starting both Foden and Cherki in the same team, but perhaps he has now found the balance he sought.

READ MORE | Champions League news and stories from the current season

The Frenchman’s quick thinking to release Erling Haaland behind the Bournemouth defence on Sunday was the spark for victory, a moment that felt significant for a City side that has sometimes lacked the early, incisive pass to set their striker free. Two goals followed, both stemming from that instinct to play forward early.

Cherki’s intent to unlock Bournemouth’s back line was evident not just visually but statistically too. He completed five passes into the final third, though only with a 79% success rate in the opposition half. This was a player determined to make something happen. Sound familiar?

It may be too soon to draw parallels with De Bruyne, but there is something reassuring for City fans in seeing a player willing to take risks, play the bold pass and build a new understanding with the club’s relentless goalscorer.