Arabic version: توقّع حضور غوارديولا مباراة مانشستر سيتي وباريس سان جيرمان

According to BBC News, former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is expected to attend the club’s Champions League home tie against Paris St-Germain next week. The match will be his first return to Etihad Stadium since leaving City at the end of last season after a decade in charge.

City host Champions League holders PSG on Wednesday, 14 October, following their Premier League trip to Liverpool on Sunday at 16:30 BST. Enzo Maresca’s side return from a three-week international break for the match at Anfield before welcoming the French club to Manchester.

Guardiola’s expected appearance comes after an independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. It will be the club’s first home fixture since they were found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League.

City deny wrongdoing and have appealed against the findings in a Premier League report which stated that the club falsely inflated commercial revenues by £830m through “sham” contracts. After the verdict, Guardiola publicly backed City’s owners and leadership, saying he would always stand behind the club.

During his 10 years as City manager, Guardiola won six Premier League titles, including a record four consecutive titles from 2020-21. He also led the club to the Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups.