Pep Guardiola is confident that Manchester City will not be banned from the Champions League despite Uefa’s investigation into the club’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) compliance.
Uefa will consider taking strong action against City if allegations published by Der Spiegel, the German magazine, are found to be proven by the investigation launched last month.
Aleksander Ceferin, the president of Uefa, this week said City had “a concrete case” to answer and pledged an outcome “very soon”.
Across Manchester on Friday, Jose Mourinho suggested that authorities must clamp down on City’s spending in order for his Manchester United side to be able to challenge them.
Guardiola, however, is sure City will avoid a Champions League ban having discussed the matter with Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, the club’s chairman.
“We will not be banned, no,” Guardiola, who won two European Cups at Barcelona, said at his press conference to preview Saturday’s trip to Chelsea.
“That’s what I think because I trust in my chairman, with my CEO, what they have explained to me. I trust in them.
The City manager added: “If it happens because Uefa decide that, we will accept it and move forward.”
Der Spiegel alleges that City illegitimately circumvented FFP regulations through a variety of techniques, including sponsorship deals and the sale of image rights to third parties.
The allegations are based on information and internal e-mails obtained by Football Leaks, a whistleblowing group.
City have consistently refused to comment on “purportedly hacked or stolen” materials.
Guardiola also confirmed that Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne will both miss Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.
Despite hopes the pair would win their fitness battles in time, Aguero and De Bruyne are yet to full recover from groin and knee problems respectively.
City’s player of the year last term De Bruyne has barely featured this season having suffered two separate knee injuries, though Guardiola hopes the Belgian will return shortly.
“I think he will come back and train with the team soon, one week or less than one week,” the City manager said.
“After that we will see if he will be fit. To have another player in this period with so many games is so important.”
