Champions League: Manchester City will be a 'tough nut to crack' in upcoming season, says Terry Phelan

Former Premier League footballer Terry Phelan believes Manchester City will be a “hard nut to crack” in the UEFA Champions League this season, having entered this season on the back of a treble in 2022-23. City went onto win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season, repeating Manchester United’s feat from 1999. “Manchester City will just go on like they finished. They will take one game at a time. If they get to the Round of 16, there are a whole lot of teams challenging them. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, PSG, AC Milan, Barcelona, but Manchester City will be a very hard nut to crack,” said Terry, an expert on Sony Sports Network. “They (Bayern) will always be favourites. They have brought in Harry Kane, who is in hot form. He has got wonderful players in and around him. If they play to his strengths, then they have a good chance,” he added. Terry believes that Newcastle United, who are returning to the Champions League after two decades, will have a learning experience from the Group of Death. Newcastle are in Group F, along with AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain. “You are going to come up against teams who are playing year in year out and they (Newcastle) have got the players to unlock any of the teams. But this is the group of death. It will be a real trial for Newcastle in the Champions League, but they will have some wonderful nights. They will learn from these nights,” Phelan added. UEFA Champions League 2023-24 season will be broadcast LIVE on Sony Sports Network, The LIVE streaming will be available on the SonyLIV app and website.