Pep Guardiola has challenged his Manchester City side to achieve something special and win back-to-back Champions League titles.

The treble winners begin the defence of their European crown as they host Red Star Belgrade at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

City finally put years of near-misses behind them to win the competition for the first time last season but, while Guardiola is proud of their achievements, he feels their mission is not yet over.

The City manager said at a press conference: “I’d like to say that for our club to win the Champions League is incredible – the first time in our history – but, in perspective, how many teams have won the Champions League once?

“A lot have won two, three, four, five. In perspective, we did nothing special. It’s just one.

“Let’s go. Let’s try to win tomorrow against a team so aggressive, so fast up front.”

Guardiola is viewing the challenge as nothing different to past seasons, although he accepts the pressure of trying to defend the trophy will be easier than when trying to win it for the first time.

“It’s most difficult to win the first one,” he said. “But every season we start the competition in the first game with the target to win the first game, then the group stage, then try to win the Champions League. Nothing changes from before.

“The same for Red Star tomorrow. It depends on our performance and our level.

“We’re incredibly happy to defend this crown but this competition doesn’t allow you mistakes.

“But always we were so strong at home, nine points from nine. When that happens you can win just one game away and you qualify. Tomorrow is the first step.”

City reached the European summit, and capped a glorious treble, when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the final in Istanbul in June.

Yet the club have not sat back and dwelt on their success, adding the UEFA Super Cup and starting the new Premier League campaign with five successive wins.

Guardiola admits he has not even watched back the final, which was won with a single goal from Rodri.

He said: “People say we won it and it’s done. It’s not done. They’re happy, we’re happy. Every time we come here, people take pictures with the four trophies.

“That makes us so happy, you cannot deny, but if I wanted to live for the memories I wouldn’t be here. I’d be at home or on a beach.

“I didn’t watch the game, no. Not at all. The competition gives us a new challenge so let’s at least try – and I don’t have any doubt we will try.”

Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique has admitted his team’s start to the season has not been good enough as they prepare to host Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.

PSG have won just two of their opening five league games and suffered their first defeat on Friday when they were beaten 3-2 at home by Nice, leaving the reigning champions three points behind leaders Monaco.

Having taken charge in the summer, Enrique admits he is still getting used to his new side so has no cause for concern about developments so far, and promised that improved performances and results will start to come.

He told a press conference: “It is true it hasn’t been a great start, but when I start coaching a club, there is a lot of information I take in, a lot of situations to bear in mind.

“I have a very receptive team that is full of desire to take on new ideas, I am delighted with the conduct of the players and the team. The fans are fantastic, bringing total unconditional support, despite not so good results.

“It is a long process and from my experience I know it takes time. I am not wasting time because I already know how this works. I am very calm here, we will certainly be playing good football and getting good results.”

PSG have been among the favourites to win the Champions League in recent seasons but will be without some notable names this time around, with star forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar having left this summer while experienced midfielder Marco Verratti joined Al-Arabi last week.

The perennial Ligue 1 champions have yet to win the competition but came close in 2020, losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the final. They also reached the semi-final the following year but since then the big-spending French giants have fallen short of expectations with round of 16 exits in successive years.

Enrique still holds hope of bringing the trophy back to Paris but does not want to become obsessed over the idea.

He added: “We will have to see how the competition goes, football is a marvellous sport.

“Any result is possible, and in theory, any team can win. You can play well and lose. You might play badly and win. As a club we are convinced and motivated in every competition we are taking part in.

“The aim is to go as far as possible and try to win all of them. That is the objective of this club, it is ambitious.

“When a person or a team or club is obsessed with something, it is not a good sign. You need to be excited, you have to have hope and ambition. But being obsessed doesn’t work in any part of life.

“So we are excited and motivated. We are full of desire to put on a show for our fans, and we are looking forward to the start of this competition.”

Enrique thinks their defeat to Nice has little to do with their upcoming European encounter with Dortmund, who are unbeaten themselves in the league so far.

Edin Terzic’s men are seventh in the Bundesliga with eight points from four games, sitting two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen following Saturday’s 4-2 win at Freiburg.

The Spaniard said: “The Nice game has nothing to do with the Dortmund game. They are different games in different competitions.

“There are many areas for improvement and many things of the team are doing well. I think the most important thing is what the fans can see, which is the team’s attitude. We don’t give up.”

Nat Phillips trained with the Celtic squad ahead of their Champions League opener against Feyenoord.

The on-loan Liverpool defender saw his debut cut short on Saturday when he rolled his ankle towards the end of the first half against Dundee.

Phillips was replaced by Gustaf Lagerbielke at half-time, although he was only scheduled to play an hour in his first appearance since his loan move.

Liam Scales is Brendan Rodgers’ other recognised centre-back option with Cameron Carter-Vickers, Stephen Welsh and Maik Nawrocki missing through injury.

Scales has started each of the last three matches and helped Celtic keep clean sheets against St Johnstone, Rangers and Dundee.

Rodgers’ squad trained at Celtic Park before flying out to the Netherlands on Monday afternoon ahead of Tuesday’s clash at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam.

Live In The Dream will head to America to acclimatise ahead of his Breeders’ Cup tilt with a run in the $350,000 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland.

The flying four-year-old proved appropriately named at York when storming to success in the Nunthorpe and booking his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in the process – setting up a trip of a lifetime to Santa Anita for enthusiastic connections who were all tasting big-race success for the first time.

However, before the main event in California on November 4, trainer Adam West has elected to give his thriving speedster an early taste of the action Stateside and Live In The Dream will head to Kentucky on October 7 for a contest won in the past two years by Wesley Ward’s Golden Pal.

West said: “We can’t rely on getting any good ground in the Abbaye and we think the experience out in America – the bell, the stalls they have, the pace they set, a turning track – will hold him in better stead for the Breeders’ Cup.

“The race itself is five and a half furlongs so we’re not expecting to do serious damage there, but the experience for him in that racing style will be invaluable. If we’re leading them at the half-furlong marker then we’ll know we have a really good chance in the big race.”

West reports the Prince Of Lir gelding to be in tip-top form following his exploits on the Knavesmire and with excitement building ahead of the upcoming cross-Atlantic raids, he hopes an outing at Keeneland will help keep a lid on his charge ahead of his main target four weeks later.

“He’s been thriving ever since the Nunthorpe, he’s been really, really well,” added West.

“I’ve just been trying to switch him off a little bit actually so that the next race can bring him on. It’s very hard to keep something at its maximum for as long as the two races (Nunthorpe and Breeders’ Cup) are separated, so hopefully this will do the trick.

“It’s very exciting and we can’t wait.”

Newcastle return to the Champions League group stage for the first time in two decades on Tuesday night.

The Magpies travel to San Siro, where they take on AC Milan before facing PSG and Borussia Dortmund in their remaining Group F fixtures.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the last time Newcastle were in Europe’s premier club competition back in 2002-03.

First Group Stage

After qualifying for the competition with a fourth-placed finish in the previous Premier League season, Newcastle reached the first group stage of the tournament where they were drawn against Dynamo Kiev, Feyenoord and Juventus in Group E.
Their opening fixture against Dynamo Kiev ended in defeat at the Olympic Stadium in Ukraine’s capital as Maksim Shatskikh and Alyaksandr Khatskevich gave the hosts the advantage, while captain Alan Shearer came away with four stitches in his head following a challenge from Andriy Husin.

Sebastian Pardo’s fourth-minute volley condemned the Magpies to further Champions League misery the following week in a home fixture against Feyenoord in an end-to-end clash which saw goalkeeper Edwin Zoetebier make several fantastic saves to deny the hosts.

Their third game against Juventus kept them rooted to the bottom of the group without a point after suffering a 2-0 defeat with two goals from Alessandro Del Piero, and with three successive defeats under their belts Newcastle needed something drastic to salvage their European hopes.

Sir Bobby Robson’s side did just that, starting with Juve again at St James’ Park as full-back Andy Griffin got the ball rolling when his shot was turned into the net by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon for the Tynesiders to edge to a 1-0 win.

Next up was a home fixture against Dynamo Kiev and they bounced back from Shatskikh’s opener when Gary Speed’s header brought the scores level before Shearer slotted the ball home from the penalty spot to secure a 2-1 win.

Needing nothing but a win against Feyenoord to stand a chance of progressing to the next stage, the scores were tied going into the final minutes and Craig Bellamy struck in injury time for Newcastle to secure a dramatic second-placed finish in Group E to reach the next phase of the competition.

Second Group Stage

The Magpies were drawn into Group A for the next stage of the competition and got off to a shaky start as three first-half goals set Inter Milan up to win 4-1 in the opening group fixture.

Robson’s return to the Nou Camp ended in defeat the following game as goals from Dani, Patrick Kluivert and Thiago Motta were enough for Barcelona to beat the Magpies 3-1 as the hosts earned a record 10th successive Champions League victory.

The Newcastle boss then celebrated his 70th birthday in style as his side kept their chances alive with a 3-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen as Shola Ameobi’s double put them ahead before Franca pulled one back and Lomana LuaLua restored the two-goal cushion.

Shearer returned from suspension with a quick-fire hat-trick against the German side in the reverse fixture on Tyneside, heading home twice within six minutes in the opening stages before smashing the ball past Jorg Butt from the spot.

Six points against Leverkusen gave Newcastle hope for the remaining games against Inter and Barcelona and their tie at San Siro ended in a 2-2 draw as goals from Bellamy and Shearer were cancelled out by Christian Vieri and Ivan Cordoba.

Challenging for a quarter-final spot, the Magpies’ European dream was ended at St James’ Park by the LaLiga giants, who had already booked their spot in the final eight prior to the match, as Kluivert and Motta scored for the visitors, meaning Newcastle finished third in the group.

The following season the Tynesiders reached the third qualifying round of the competition, but fell to a 4-3 penalty defeat against Partizan Belgrade after the match ended 1-1 on aggregate.

Scrum-half Conor Murray feels Ireland’s squad are “buzzing” and in “unbelievable nick” ahead of a pivotal Paris appointment with reigning world champions South Africa.

Andy Farrell’s men have underlined their status as Test rugby’s top-ranked nation by beginning the World Cup with emphatic bonus-point successes over Romania and Tonga.

But their credentials will be truly tested on Saturday evening when they face the formidable Springboks at Stade de France in Pool B’s standout fixture.

Ireland will assess hooker Dan Sheehan, back-rower Jack Conan (both foot) and prop Finlay Bealham (head injury assessment) before the visit to the French capital, with Murray excited for the step up in challenge.

“We feel great,” said the Munster player. “Going back to the pre-season we had, it was great. We feel fit. Most of the lads are in unbelievable nick.

“We have a couple of lads with knocks to come back and, when we get them, we will be absolutely buzzing.

“But we are buzzing already. The exciting thing is we want to see where we can take this team when the challenges get tougher and tougher.

“We are playing good rugby and have things to work on as usual. The big tests are to come but we feel good, we are ready to go.

“You have to embrace it. It’s going to be a massive challenge: world champions in a World Cup. It’s something really exciting.”

Murray started against Tonga in Nantes after backing up Jamison Gibson-Park from the bench in the Bordeaux opener against Romania.

The 34-year-old could this weekend come up against provincial team-mate Jean Kleyn, who represented Ireland at the 2019 World Cup before recently switching allegiance to his native country.

Murray insists there are no hard feelings over that decision but will be looking to steer clear of his towering former Test colleague on the field.

“He has been an unbelievable servant to Munster, so you’d wish him all the best,” he said of 30-year-old lock Kleyn.

“Players make decisions when they have opportunities and that’s the way the world is now.

“If I’m playing against him, I’ll just try and avoid him. He is a physical man, he loves that kind of carry on and he is very, very good at it, so, I’ll just try to avoid him and we’ll have a chat after.”

Assistant coach Mike Catt says Ireland are fully aware of the threats posed by South Africa but concedes nullifying them is a different matter.

“They are playing a great brand of rugby at the moment, there is a real good mix of their physicality and their directness to their ability to move the ball,” said the former England World Cup winner, who was born and raised in Port Elizabeth.

“I think having Manie Libbok at 10, Damian Willemse at 15 and Willie Le Roux, they’re definitely putting the ball through the hands more and causing problems, big problems, for a lot of teams.

“We’re well aware of it, but still got to try and stop it.”

Eddie Jones accepts that Australia are “under the pump” as they prepare for a make-or-break Rugby World Cup clash against Wales.

A first pool stage exit in World Cup history will loom for the Wallabies if they fail to beat Warren Gatland’s team in Lyon on Sunday.

In contrast, Wales are sitting pretty, top of the group with a maximum 10 points from two games and moving towards a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.

And while the Welsh go about business back at their Versailles training base, Jones and his coaching staff are picking through the pieces of a first loss to Fiji since 1954.

“We are moving on to Wales now,” said Australia head coach Jones, whose side were beaten 22-15 by the Pacific nation in Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

“These are the weeks you remember when you are under the pump quite a lot and you have got to produce a good performance.

“We are starting to set our sights on how we need to play against Wales. The only thing we are worried about is Wales this week.

“We would be happy to play them tomorrow if they wanted to play. We would get the television (coverage) organised. We can’t wait for the challenge.”

Wales have beaten Australia in three of the countries’ last four meetings, and they will tackle a team reeling from a loss that has left them teetering on the brink.

Australia will also be without injured key forwards Taniela Tupou and Will Skelton, increasing their degree of difficulty in a game of inevitably intense pressure.

Jones added: “There are no problems with motivation. This team cares a lot about their performance.

“We are all still searching for answers. None of us has the 100 per cent answer, but we have ideas about where the game came unstuck.

“Wales are a completely different team. They grind away at you, whereas Fiji is power.

“This is one of the biggest challenges for this team and for the coaching staff. We know how we want to play against Wales and we are going to work really hard to get the players back on track.

“When you have a loss like this, it knocks you around a bit. It knocks you emotionally and team-ethics wise. You start seeing shadows in every corner of the room.

“There is noise from outside which you have to handle. That is the challenge for the coaching staff this week, to make sure they have got the right noise.”

Wales are back at their training base, with only flanker Tommy Reffell and prop Henry Thomas among Gatland’s squad likely to need fitness assessments.

Reffell pulled out of Wales’ clash against Portugal just before kick-off in Nice due to a tight calf muscle, while Thomas has played no part in the tournament so far because of a hamstring issue.

Gatland said: “People had an opportunity to put their hand up (against Portugal), so we will review that and see which guys did perform well.

“I thought Rio Dyer looked sharp on the wing, and I was really happy with his aerial stuff. Probably the lineout didn’t function as well as I would have liked, and we were a bit lateral at times.

“But when we were direct and in contact we looked comfortable.”

Scotland are ready to ramp up preparations for Tonga in the coming days after “a good, productive week” of down time and recuperation mixed with intense training sessions since their opening World Cup match against South Africa.

The Scots were idle on the second weekend of the tournament after beginning their campaign with an 18-3 defeat by the defending champions in a gruelling showdown in Marseille on September 10.

The players were given three days off with their families after that match and returned to the training pitch in Nice on Thursday before undertaking further sessions on Friday and Sunday.

The Scots’ regular Test week routine effectively begins on Tuesday ahead of next Sunday’s meeting with Tonga, who lost 59-16 to Ireland in their opening match on Saturday.

“It’s been a good, productive week,” said Scotland’s strength and conditioning coach Stuart Yule. “We had some time off after the game to allow the players to recuperate, recover and spend some time with their families.

“We had time to get reviews done and then we came back into training on Thursday and had three good physical sessions (Thursday, Friday and Sunday) before we came back into the Test match week.

“It’s been a good opportunity to get some more physical work in because it’s a long tournament and it’s important we retain our fitness through this period.”

With a full fortnight between their first two games at the World Cup, Yule explained that the Scots had to find the right balance between down time and keeping the players in prime condition.

“It’s a long tournament, but I think it was an opportunity that we’ve had and we’ve taken to work hard,” he said.

“The way the tournament is, every team will have different situations in terms of where that week is and what it means.

“Recuperation and recovery is vital for every player in this tournament because it’s when you grow and adapt.

“That few days off after South Africa allowed the bodies to recuperate so in the first session back the players were in excellent form, ready to go again, full of enthusiasm and motivation to work hard in the few days prior to the week of the Tonga match.”

The start of the World Cup coincided with France sizzling in a late-summer heatwave, with temperatures across the country in the high 20s and even into the 30s since the tournament began. Yule has been impressed with the way the Scots have acclimatised to working in such intense heat.

“We were fortunate that right at the start of pre-season we had some excellent weather in Scotland and we had a couple of weeks training out here in France (in June and August), so we’ve been exposing the players regularly to the heat,” said Yule.

“There’s a perceptual aspect to the heat as well and once you’ve been exposed to it for a while that perception slowly starts to reduce. It’s something we’ve definitely had to consider, especially in terms of hydration and cooling.

“This group’s resilient, it’s the best group I’ve been with in terms of showing an ability to perform in the heat. They are excellent at getting their heads down and doing the work.

“We’ve had a long period together where we’ve been working hard on our underlying fitness levels and supporting the players with their recovery between training days. The heat’s not affected at all how we’ve prepared.”

Desert Hero will start the vetting procedure for the Lexus Melbourne Cup, with trainer William Haggas eager to keep all avenues open for his St Leger third.

The Sea The Stars colt, who is owned by the King and Queen, was beaten just over three lengths by Continuous at Doncaster on Saturday and is a general 12-1 shot for the Flemington feature on November 7.

International runners in the two-mile contest are subject to a series of veterinary checks before being permitted to run by Racing Victoria, a process which Haggas will begin with Desert Hero, although he underlined undertaking those checks does not necessarily mean the horse will make the trip.

He told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast: “We want to leave all options open, so the horse will go through his veterinary tests.

“I think we start tonight and then we’ve a couple of days (of) MRIs, tomorrow and Wednesday, so we will get those completed. That doesn’t mean he’s going, but the weights come out tomorrow and then we can collate all the information. Who knows, the veterinary protocols might rule him out anyway, so we will see what happens.”

The King and Queen were at the Town Moor track to see Desert Hero post a gallant effort in defeat, with the crowd providing a warm reception.

Haggas added: “It was a fabulous day – there was a huge crowd, very enthusiastic. I don’t think anyone really believed the King and the Queen would come, so the fact that they did was terrific.

“They weren’t there for very long, but it was great that they came.”

The King and Queen assumed the late Queen’s racing interests following her death, with Desert Hero giving them a first Royal Ascot success when winning the King George V Stakes in June.

Asked if he thought the King was enjoying his racing experience so far, Haggas said: “It appears that way and that’s fantastic because he’s very keen, but obviously it’s been his mother’s baby for as long as we’ve been alive and he didn’t get involved until sadly she left us.

“He’s been full on since and I think he’s enjoying it – I hope he is anyway.

“There was a bit of nervous tension on Saturday, as you can imagine – excitement, but there was a little bit of nerves. We’d spoken about the horse and everyone knew the situation, we were just all hoping for the best.”

Arrest is set to be put away until next season after filling the runner-up spot in his bid to provide Frankie Dettori with one final Classic success in the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

Having put Derby and Royal Ascot disappointment behind him with victory in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury last month, the Frankel colt was the Italian’s chosen mount as he looked to secure a seventh victory in the Town Moor showpiece.

While the impressive Continuous was too good on the day, Arrest stuck to his task to finish best of the rest and connections are looking forward to seeing what he can achieve as a four-year-old.

Barry Mahon, racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “I was delighted and thought he ran a great race. I was more disappointed for Frankie than anything because it would have been lovely for him to have a fairytale ending in the last Classic of the year, but it wasn’t to be.

“The horse ran a brilliant race and Frankie was very complimentary about him afterwards and said what a good horse he thinks he’ll be next year. I think we’ve plenty to look forward to with him.

“I think that seemed to be the consensus with John and Thady (Gosden) and Frankie after the race, that we’d put him away for the year now and he’ll be a nice horse next year.

“He still has a lot of strengthening to do – he’s a tall, lean horse and he’ll strengthen up from three to four. We’ll look forward to the spring next year.

“We know he likes to get his toe in a little bit and once there’s a little bit of juice in the ground he’ll compete in all those big mile-and-a-half races next year.”

Juddmonte’s other top-class performer in the middle-distance division is the Ralph Beckett-trained Westover, who on Friday enjoyed a racecourse gallop at Salisbury in preparation for a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday week.

The four-year-old has been kept fresh since being narrowly denied by Hukum in a pulsating renewal of the King George at Ascot in July, and Mahon is counting down the days until his next big-race assignment in Paris.

He added: “Westover had a day out in Salisbury and everything went lovely. Ralph was very happy and Rob (Hornby) was very happy with him. He had a good blow afterwards and that will put him spot on.

“I think he’ll head away to the beach this week, which he usually does, and he’ll be ready to head to Longchamp then.

“His form is very good – he’s been competing with the best of them – and just looking at the long-range forecasts the weather looks pretty settled in Paris, so hopefully we might get nice ground, which would be great.”

Lewis Ludlam has urged booing fans to keep the faith after admitting that England could have shown more enterprise in their 34-12 World Cup victory over Japan.

Head coach Steve Borthwick declared it was job done as England took a stranglehold on Pool D through a bonus-point win, but after the 14-man rout of Argentina it felt like a backwards step had been taken on a messy evening at the Stade de Nice.

Early in the third quarter supporters groaned when Alex Mitchell – a live-wire scrum-half whose instinct is to run – booted the ball dead and the jeering grew in volume when the kicking continued.

England then ignited, defying the humidity-soaked conditions that made handling treacherous, to stage a thrilling all-out assault on Japan that was directed by George Ford and replacement full-back Marcus Smith.

The gameplan was to grind down unorthodox opponents and then take them apart when they were out on their feet. In that sense it worked, but for lengthy periods it was also a hard watch that clearly alienated some fans.

When asked for his message to supporters, Ludlam said: “I just say stick with us.

“We are a team that is learning every week and there are probably opportunities in there when we could have run that ball.

“However, it was hard to see how greasy that ball was. It was humid in that stadium and a couple of times we tried to play and ended up straight back on our tryline.

“George Ford is very good at putting us in the right areas and putting us in behind so that we have better opportunities to attack farther up the pitch. It’s hard to get the fans excited about that and we understand, but we’re building.

“That was probably not the performance we wanted – it was not a complete performance – but we are happy to get the win and the five points.

“We will take more opportunities and we want to be a better team next weekend and play in the right areas of the pitch.”

For the second successive weekend Ford was named man of the match as he single-mindedly executed England’s gameplan, but his stellar form presents Borthwick with a conundrum.

Owen Farrell returns from suspension against Chile on Saturday and while Ford will surely be rested for the showdown with Pool D’s weakest opponents, Borthwick must decide who to start at fly-half in a tricky appointment with Samoa a week later.

As England’s captain and talisman Farrell demands selection, but his return would alter a winning team that has been well led by the indomitable Courtney Lawes.

Borthwick’s likely solution is to reunite Ford and Farrell in a playmaking axis against Samoa on October 7 with the Saracens ringmaster reacclimatising to Test rugby at 10 in Lille on Saturday.

“Owen’s always chomping at the bit to get involved whether he’s banned or not. He’s always there and always leading the team forward,” Ludlam said.

“It is massive that we have got him back. He’s a massive leader for us. It’s just brilliant adding to that competition at 10 which is so fierce at the moment.

“Owen’s a proper competitor. He’s one of the most competitive blokes I have had the pleasure of playing with or against.

“You know he’s going to fight to the end and lead the team in the right way. He’s a massive character around the place and we are happy he’s back from his ban now.”