In his pre-match press conference, Pep Guardiola stated that City “have to accept we are going to struggle and it is fine”.

“Every game will be more difficult than when everything was smooth. We won six Premier Leagues in seven years and situations change.

“It’s the reality. The middle class in the Premier League rise unbelievably. The top-class teams were always there – add Newcastle and Tottenham, but after you see Fulham, Brentford, most of the teams.

“I know our standards. We lost one game in the Premier League. Maybe we will lose against Brighton and Tottenham[next two league fixtures], but we lost one game and we are two points behind a top-class team in Liverpool.

“I know people expect us to win 38 games 5-0 and the Treble every season because this is our standards – but this will not happen.”

On Amorim’s Sporting CP side, he added: “The pattern is clear. Movements in behind are so dangerous – the pace and the control. Good inside, good switch of players and movement. Winning the Portuguese leagues after 20 years and then doing it again shows how good the job he has done here.”

These sides have actually met four times previously, with two meetings coming in the Europa League and another two in the Champions League.

They first met in Uefa’s secondary competition in the 2011/12 season, with Sporting advancing on away goals after they won 1-0 at home and then lost 3-2 at the Etihad – Sergio Aguero scored two that night, with Balotelli netting the other goal.

It would be another decade before the two sides met again, and fortunes had changed dramatically by then, as City won 5-0 on aggregate in the 2021/22 Champions League season.

The incoming Manchester United manager is just 39 years old, and has been managing since taking over third division side Casa Pia in 2018.

Before stepping into management, the Lisbon-born midfielder had a playing career than spanned 13 years and included stints at SL Benfica and SC Braga. The 39-year-old also won several caps for his country before his retirement in 2015.

In the 2012/13 Champions League campaign, he featured in midfield alongside incoming City director Hugo Viana as Braga lost 3-2 at Old Trafford.

Amorim’s time at Casa Pia came to an end after he resigned from the club following a six-point deduction related to an incident in which he gave instructions despite not having the required coaching badges. From there he moved to Braga’s reserve sides, and within a few months was at the helm of the club after they dismissed their manager.

In his time at Braga, Amorim won the league cup, but by March 2020 he had moved to Sporting, again mid-season, after the club paid Braga around €10m to release him from his contract.

In his first full season with Sporting – 2020/21 – he won the club’s first league title in 18 years, as well as the league cup. In the two seasons after this, their only real success was another league cup win – as well as qualification for the round of 16 in the Champions League for the first time since 2008/09 – but more league success came last season, with his second league title.

This season, Sporting have won all 10 of their matches in the league, and have won one and drawn one in the Champions League.

Ruben Amorim is the next manager of Manchester United, with the 39-year-old set to finally take the next step in his coaching career after being linked with some of the biggest jobs in Europe as a result of his impressive work at Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese is in line to replace Erik ten Hag with United signalling their intent to pay Sporting over his release fee. United’s football operations department placed Amorim at the top of their list and have convinced the 39-year-old to leave Sporting mid-season.

United will appoint a manager who has been one of the most in-demand coaches in Europe over the last year.

Pep Guardiola has made three changes to the side that lost to Bournemouth last weekend.

In defence, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey makes his first senior start as he comes in for Nathan Ake, while Rico Lewis replaces Kyle Walker. In midfield, Ilkay Gündoğan is replaced by Savinho, who has returned from injury. 

Sporting XI: Israel; Debast, Diomande, Matheus Reis; Quenda, Hjulmand, Morita, Maxi Araújo, Trincão, Goncalves, Gyökeres.

Subs: Kovacevic, D. Pinto, St. Juste, Edwards, Harder, Geny, Fresneda, Bragança, Esgaio, J. Simões e Quaresma.

City XI: Ederson, Lewis, Simpson-Pusey, Akanji, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Silva, Savinho, Foden, Nunes, Haaland.

Subs: Ortega, Carson, Walker, Ake, Doku, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Wright, O’Reilly, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand

Here’s a reminder of the early team news – line-ups are expected to be announced in five minutes!

Pep Guardiola was boosted by the availability of Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, Savinho and Kevin de Bruyne against Bournemouth, although the latter pair were unused off the bench. Manchester City’s treatment room remains busy, though, with Ruben Dias and John Stones their latest injury concerns.

Here’s a reminder of tonight’s fixtures in matchday four of the new Champions League.

With three gameweeks played in the new league phase format of the Champions League, it’s English teams who are topping the table at the moment.

Aston Villa and Liverpool are the only sidea to have won all three matches so far, and they sit top on nine points, with Villa ahead on goal difference.

Man City sit third, also on goal difference, with seven points – there are another six teams on 7 points, stretching down to Arsenal in ninth. Teams on seven points including Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen and Inter Milan.

Barcelona and Real Madrid sit 10th and 12th respectively, both on six points, with Borussia Dortmund sandwiched between the two Spanish giants.

Among the other teams between ninth and 24th – who will go in to a play-off to advance to the next round – are Juventus (14th), Bayern (23rd), PSG (19th) and Celtic (20th).