Manchester City players wrap up warm in training as they prepare for Champions League return at Schalke
- Manchester City go to Schalke in first-leg of their last-16 Champions League tie
- Pep Guardiola’s side looking to continue their fight for four trophies this year
- They are into FA Cup quarter-finals and contest Carabao Cup final on Sunday
Manchester City’s stars were put through their paces on a chilly Tuesday up north as they prepared for their return to European football.
The Premier League leaders trained ahead of travelling to Germany to take on Schalke in the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side are heavy favourites against a side who are 14th in the Bundesliga, and will hope to take a hefty advantage into the second-leg next month.
Sergio Aguero wrapped up in a snood and gloves as Manchester City trained on Tuesday
Pep Guardiola looks on as he prepares his players for their Champions League return
Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne go through a jogging exercise in training
This week is shaping up to be season-defining for Guardiola as his side continue to fight for silverware on all four fronts.
After reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with victory over Newport they play Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday.
But Ilkay Gundogan fears that without European success City will not be remembered as a top team.
‘If you want to be in the international elite, when you want to be there both as a club and as a player, you need to clinch this trophy,’ the German international said.
Belgian playmaker De Bruyne was put through his paces during Tuesday’s session
Young City midfielder Phil Foden (centre) will hope to build on his brace against Newport
Veteran coach Brian Kidd surveys a warm-up exercise during the training session
‘You can’t go past it, at least in my opinion. I think that, if we were to win it someday, the club would enter a new era.
‘(It would be lifted) to the same level as Real, Barca, Bayern or Juventus, clubs that are maybe a step above us. Maybe not in the way they play football, but as a club at least.
‘Our job is to try and give it our all to make it a reality someday. We’ll try and will hopefully manage that somehow.
Portuguese star Bernardo Silva trains alongside Brazilian full-back Danilo on Tuesday
‘We’ve experienced a lot in the Champions League in recent years – not all of it positive, of course.
‘We should’ve won it at least once. So as you can imagine, there’s a very big drive within us to do something in the Champions League. The biggest low was probably being knocked out by Liverpool last season.
‘For that reason, the motivation to go far in this competition is huge and I think we have the quality required.’