Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni and Emiliano Martinez made it a clean sweep for Argentina in Monday's glitzy ceremony for the Best FIFA Awards in Paris.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi was crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player, Scaloni took the the Best FIFA Men's Coach and Martinez the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper.

The award period spans between the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the 2022 World Cup, which saw Argentina end their 36-year wait to win the competition.

Martinez, who plies his club trade for Aston Villa, finished ahead of Thibaut Courtois and Yassine Bounou of Real Madrid and Sevilla respectively in the voting – although Courtois made the cut for the FIFPro Men's World 11.

Scaloni was next to pick up an award after seeing off competition from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who won a LaLiga and Champions League double last season.

La Albiceleste have lost just one of their 23 games since the start of last season, with their solitary loss coming in their opening Qatar 2022 group game against Saudi Arabia.

Messi made it three from three for Argentina by claiming the top prize at the ceremony in the French capital, which started with a poignant tribute to Brazil great Pele.

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Messi's PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe had also been in the running for the award.

Argentina's fans also claimed the FIFA Fan Award.

Their domination on the men's side was not quite matched by European champions England in the women's prizes.

While Argentina dominated the men's side of the voting, it was a clean sweep for England in the women's side of things.

Mary Earps was named the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper and Sarina Wiegman took the Best FIFA Women's Coach award for a third time.

But Beth Mead was pipped to the Best FIFA Women's Player accolade by Alexia Putellas, last year's winner.

Other winners included Luka Lochoshvili, then of Austrian side Wolfsberger, in the FIFA Fair Play Award category for potentially saving the life of opponent Georg Teigl during a game after the Austria Vienna player fell unconscious mid-match.

Polish amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal for his perfectly executed bicycle kick for Warta Poznan against Stal Rzeszow.

It was quite the performance on Sunday from Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi, who combined for all three goals as Paris Saint-Germain won 3-0 at Marseille in Ligue 1.

In the absence of the injured Neymar and with PSG trying to get back on track after a recent run of three consecutive defeats before a 4-3 win against Lille last week, the star duo took it upon themselves to rip apart Marseille.

As well as both achieving personal landmarks on Sunday – Mbappe scoring his 200th PSG goal and Messi scoring his 700th career goal – they also improved their already impressive record as a pair in the league this season.

The two standout players from December's exciting World Cup final between France and Argentina have proven there is no ill will from Qatar as they continue to lay chances on a plate for the other.

Mbappe and Messi have combined for 10 goals in Ligue 1, three more than any other two players in Europe's top-five leagues this season.

In fact, the second-most productive combination in France's top-flight also involves Messi, who has combined with Neymar for six goals, while Lille pair Jonathan David and Remy Cabella have five.

It is perhaps no surprise with Napoli seemingly strolling to the Scudetto in Italy that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen sit in second place in Europe with seven goals, but it may raise eyebrows to learn that they are joined on the same amount by another Serie A duo of Roma's Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham.

Lazio's Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the third-most efficient in Italy after providing one another with a total of five goals.

In the Premier League, it did not take a fortune-teller to predict that Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland would work well together when Manchester City signed the Norwegian striker from Borussia Dortmund last year, and they lead the way in England with six combinations so far, ahead of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, as well as Jack Harrison and Rodrigo Moreno at Leeds United (both five).

There are also three pairings in Europe's top 12 from the Bundesliga, though interestingly, none from Bayern Munich or Dortmund.

Borussia Monchengladbach's Alassane Plea and Marcus Thuram and Bayer Leverkusen duo Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby have both combined for six goals, while surprise title contenders Union Berlin have been boosted by Jordan Siebatcheu and Sheraldo Becker producing five goals for one another.

Spain's LaLiga has not been quite as filled with potent partnerships, with three pairings tied on four goals each.

They include Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona, who have shone together at Camp Nou since the latter arrived from Bayern, while Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann have also managed four, as have Brais Mendez and Mikel Merino of Real Sociedad.

None can compare to the efficacy of Mbappe and Messi though, and while two of the world's best players continue to link up at the Parc des Princes, expect more and more magic moments from them.

Pep Guardiola believes "everyone is going to drop points" between now and the end of the season in the Premier League title race.

Manchester City appeared to take the initiative when they beat rivals Arsenal at Emirates Stadium recently, but then drew at Nottingham Forest to allow the Gunners to reclaim top spot, before both won again at the weekend.

With Manchester United also closing in from third place, it promises to be a close race, but Guardiola is not concerned by the various ups and downs.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of his team's FA Cup fifth-round trip to Bristol City, he sarcastically quipped: "After Nottingham we were not consistent, but now we are consistent because we won one game [against Bournemouth on Saturday].

"In our game we are playing it is good, the results could be better in terms of winning at Spurs [1-0 away defeat] and Nottingham, but it is football, sometimes that happens. Of course, it is not exceptional, it is okay, it is good. No complaints for the way we are playing and fighting.

"After the last game I said the mood is exceptional and the guys are doing everything, that is enough for me.

"We are closing right to the last 10 games of the season and that will define [it]. I have the feeling in the Premier League many things are going to happen, everyone is going to drop points, but we cannot drop any, we want to fight until the end."

Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte were all absent from the 4-1 win at Bournemouth, though the Belgium midfielder was an unused substitute, and Guardiola updated to say: "[We] have training this afternoon. Kevin still has a little bit of illness but is much better."

City's trip to Bristol City on Tuesday will see them come up against a side who have not lost in 12 games (W6 D6) and sit 13th in the Championship.

"From my experience in this country when you go away from home in the FA Cup against a Championship side, always, always it is tough," Guardiola said. "At home it would be a little bit different. Away, always it is tough in the FA Cup.

"That is why we are flying there tomorrow to do a good game and go through. It is a nice competition and we will do what we have to do."

Pep Guardiola hailed Erling Haaland and Phil Foden after Manchester City's 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Both Haaland and Foden found the net at the Vitality Stadium in between Julian Alvarez's opener and a Chris Mepham own goal, with Jefferson Lerma hitting a late consolation for the hosts.

It was the fourth of five consecutive away games for City, and their first win in three after 1-1 draws at Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig.

"Considering the amount of games and a lot of travel, we played incredibly aggressive," said Guardiola. "Our attack was more dynamic and we got a good result."

Haaland scored the second of the game from close range to record his 27th Premier League goal of the season, beating Sergio Aguero's club record for a single season in the competition, and giving the Norwegian the most league goals by a City player in a single top-flight campaign since Francis Lee's 33 in 1971-72.

"Erling Haaland, his impact has been incredible," Guardiola added. "We love him and he is helping us. Today we found him more and he is an incredible threat."

It was only Foden's 15th start in the league this season from his 22 appearances, and he was instrumental as he created seven chances in all, the most by a City player in a Premier League away game since James Milner's eight against Aston Villa in October 2014.

"We need Phil, his work ethic, his goals, his assists. Step by step he will be back," his manager said.

Guardiola also had words of praise for 18-year-old Rico Lewis, who impressed again at right-back, lauding his "quality and intelligence" and ability to "move in small spaces, to play in pockets that we need".

Lewis completed 67 of his 72 passes (93.1 per cent), and was also happy to have the backing of the Spanish coach.

"I love playing in this role. I have played as a midfielder before and then been a full-back, so I love it," he said. "I have played there all the way through the academy but with these players around you, it's 10 times easier.

"I got my rhythm quickly and did as well as I could. Pep just tells me to play my normal game but asks me to go inside alongside Rodri, to give us more control of the midfield. It's about winning the ball back on the transition.

"It's nice that he wants to play me and trusts me, it's up to me to perform. The players in the dressing room are very experienced and have had it every year, we know to focus on ourselves and that's the only way."

Manchester City bounced back as they returned to winning ways with an emphatic 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

After their disappointing 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest last week was followed by another in the Champions League at RB Leipzig on Wednesday, City responded with a ruthless performance at the Vitality Stadium.

Goals from Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and a Chris Mepham own goal took Pep Guardiola's men back to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, after the Gunners had beaten Leicester City earlier in the day.

Bournemouth pulled a late goal back through Jefferson Lerma but slip to 19th in the table after West Ham and Leeds United both won against Nottingham Forest and Southampton respectively.

City took the lead in the 15th minute after Rico Lewis won the ball back on the right, with a swift attack leading to Haaland hitting the crossbar with a deflected effort, and Alvarez tapping in the rebound from close range when it fell kindly for him.

It was two just before the half-hour mark when Ilkay Gundogan's cross from the left found Foden, who was put off by a last-ditch tackle by Jordan Zemura, only for the ball to roll to Haaland who slammed home.

The third came just before half-time courtesy of a sloppy square pass from Philip Billing, which presented the ball on a plate for Foden to finish with ease past Neto on his 200th City appearance.

City continued attacking in the second half and had a fourth after a Foden ball in from the right was cleared by Marcos Senesi, but only as far as Alvarez, who fired in via the unfortunate Mepham.

Lerma struck a consolation high into the net in the 83rd minute after a pull-back from the left by Zemura, but City ultimately eased to a handsome win.
 

What does it mean? City remind people what they can do

It has been a strangely inconsistent season for City by their usual standards, though they seemed to have finally taken charge in the Premier League title race when they won 3-1 at Arsenal earlier this month.

A sloppy draw at Forest handed the initiative back to their rivals, but the nature of this demolition of Bournemouth felt ominous.

They looked more like the City that has been posting 90+ points every season, and if they can get back to this kind of showing regularly, Arsenal and Manchester United will certainly have their work cut out.

Another landmark for Haaland

If you can believe it, some people were questioning Haaland after his failure to score against Forest or Leipzig, though his manager blamed his team-mates for not finding him often enough.

He was on the scoresheet again here, and his 27 Premier League goals this season is the most by a City player in a single top-flight campaign since Francis Lee's 33 in 1971-72.

Cherries picked and could drop

Bournemouth earned a much-needed win at Wolves last time out, and while they were never likely to get another against the champions, defeat does mean they fall back into the relegation zone.

That win at Molineux is their only success in their last 11 games in all competitions (D2 L8), and they remain without a win at home since a 3-0 victory against Everton on November 12.

What's next?

It does not get much easier for Bournemouth, who travel to Premier League leaders Arsenal next Saturday, while Man City have a trip to Championship side Bristol City in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday before a crunch league clash with Newcastle United.

Pep Guardiola has dismissed criticism of Erling Haaland, insisting it is the team's fault when the striker struggles to influence a game.

Having struck an incredible 32 goals in 32 games this season for Manchester City, Haaland failed to score in draws against Nottingham Forest and RB Leipzig over the last week, having just 22 touches in the Champions League last-16 first leg in Germany, the lowest amount of any player for either side who completed 90 minutes.

Speaking ahead of City's Premier League trip to Bournemouth, Guardiola said it was up to the rest of the team to find their star forward.

"That is our fault, Erling has been impressive for us all season," he told reporters.

"I don't need numbers or metrics, I know immediately after the game who has been involved and who has not.

"Yes, of course, it depends on us. We need to look for him a little more."

The City boss was unsure about the fitness of trio Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne, though while the latter could potentially be fit for Saturday's game on the south coast, the two defenders remain more unlikely to feature.

Guardiola also explained his decision not to make any substitutions during Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Leipzig, suggesting he had considered it at one point only for Josko Gvardiol's equaliser to alter his thinking.

It meant that City became the first team to make no substitutions in a Champions League game since Manchester United in October 2018 against Juventus.

"I'm not concerned [about squad depth], Kevin was not there, Aymeric, John," Guardiola added. 

"The second half I wanted to make a change, maybe Phil [Foden] or Julian [Alvarez] in a position close to Erling to be more aggressive, but after we conceded the goal we were good.

"When the situation is going more or less well I don't like to change things around normally, when I don't like what I see I will but I don't like to move things around [for the sake of it]."

City are two points behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race, having played a game more, and just three ahead of United.

Guardiola, a four-time Premier League winner, took the opportunity to offer a reminder that he was told English football would be more competitive than his previous jobs at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

"People told me when I arrived that the UK is different to Spain and Germany," he said. "Fortunately [for me], for most years it was only a two-horse [title] race.

"Now, finally, there is more."

Marco Rose suggested Josko Gvardiol will still be playing for RB Leipzig next season as the coach attempts to stave off Premier League interest in the centre-back.

Reported Chelsea target Gvardiol salvaged a 1-1 draw for Leipzig in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 clash with Manchester City at Red Bull Arena.

The Croatia defender also previously named Liverpool as his "dream" destination after impressing at the World Cup alongside former Red Dejan Lovren.

But Rose insisted the 21-year-old will remain with Leipzig, despite a credible performance in a potential Premier League audition against Pep Guardiola's side.

"Josko Gvardiol will be an RB Leipzig player next season as well," he told TV 2 Sport after Leipzig's first-leg clash with City.

"I am the coach and I am asking for that. He is happy here. He said he wants to play in the Premier League, but he didn't say when."

Rose joked Gvardiol "should play basketball" after his towering headed equaliser in the 70th minute, though he was left unimpressed with Leipzig's first-half showing.

"We should start to play and fight. It was a really difficult first half, 26 per cent possession isn't enough," Rose told BT Sport.

"We were too passive in every situation. They moved the ball and they moved us. We had no power."

However, another impressive outing for Gvardiol against one of Europe's elite secured a share of the spoils and left it all to play for in the March 14 return leg at Etihad Stadium.

"The second half was totally different. Better late than never."

Pep Guardiola hit out at suggestions Manchester City were expected to comfortably defeat RB Leipzig after a frustrating 1-1 draw in their Champions League last-16 clash.

Riyad Mahrez fired City into a 27th-minute lead on Wednesday at the Red Bull Arena, with City utterly dominant in the first period of the first leg in Germany.

But Guardiola's visitors did not capitalise on their control as Leipzig fought back after the interval and Josko Gvardiol secured a share of the spoils ahead of the March 14 return clash at Etihad Stadium.

Marco Rose's side are fifth in Bundesliga and had not scored a goal in three previous Champions League knockout clashes, though Guardiola refused claims a comfortable victory at Leipzig was always on the cards.

The City manager told BT Sport: "People expect we are going to win 5-0, that's not a reality. It is past the group stage in a very competitive competition and many important teams around.

"It is difficult, we knew this, our fourth game in 10 days, the away games, the travels and the people expect [wins]…

"I know we are a good team, and we continue to do good things. But people expect we come here and win 4 or 5-0, we are not able to do this."

The opening 45 minutes were in stark contrast for what was to follow, with City boasting 74 per cent possession and only conceding one shot on target in the first half – a timid Timo Werner effort at Ederson.

Guardiola's side managed just a 49.2 per cent share of the ball in the second half, facing six shots, as substitute Benjamin Henrichs spurned a pair of glorious opportunities.

Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss Guardiola insisted he was "happy" with the entire performance, however.

"They make a step forward, they pressed everyone high up, more problems in the build-up," he said when asked about the second half.

"After the goal we conceded, we came back – we made a good last 15, 20 minutes. We had good chances, both sides in both halves, and now we go back to Manchester to decide it."

Pressed on the drop in performance levels, a somewhat irked Guardiola added: "I'm happy for the whole game, not just the first half. What do you expect? We play a friendly game here?"

Despite Leipzig growing in confidence as the final whistle drew closer, Guardiola opted to make no substitutions throughout.

That was the first instance of no changes from a team during a Champions League match since Jose Mourinho did so with Manchester United against Juventus in October 2018.

But Guardiola remained confident with his decision, albeit admitting he considered introducing Phil Foden.

"I saw the team good, especially in the middle," he continued. "I thought about Phil, but at the end I decided to continue with what I had.

"Bernardo [Silva] was giving a lot of control and I thought we could win it."

Manchester City failed to capitalise on their early dominance as Josko Gvardiol salvaged a 1-1 home draw for RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16.

Pep Guardiola's side piled the pressure on in the first half of the first leg at Red Bull Arena and Riyad Mahrez fired City into a deserved 27th-minute lead on Wednesday.

But City's control wavered in the second period as substitute Benjamin Henrichs missed two great chances before Gvardiol earned a share of the spoils with a thumping header after 70 minutes.

Guardiola will be left rueing what could have been after an impressive display in the opening half, leaving it all to play for in the March 14 return leg at Etihad Stadium.

City monopolised possession in the opening stages but created little without absent chief creator Kevin De Bruyne, who missed the Germany trip through illness.

That pressure soon told, though, as Ilkay Gundogan punished a wayward Xaver Schlager pass to find Mahrez, who arrowed into the bottom-right corner from outside the area.

Rodri headed narrowly wide and Jack Grealish blazed over as City threatened to further their advantage, with Leipzig fortunate to go in at half-time just a goal down.

Henrichs should have levelled after the interval, first wastefully heading over before dragging a glorious opportunity wide to the right of Ederson, who denied a fizzing Dominik Szoboszlai strike soon after.

The much-improved Leipzig grabbed a deserved equaliser from Marcel Halstenberg's resulting corner as Gvardiol powered home, with City's appeals for a foul falling on deaf ears.

Janis Blaswich then denied a whipped Gundogan effort destined for the bottom-right corner, ensuring it remains all to play for in the return leg in England.

Erling Haaland should be licking his lips at the prospect of facing RB Leipzig when Manchester City continue their quest to lift the Champions League for the first time on Wednesday.

City travel to Leipzig for the first leg of their round of 16 tie smarting from slipping off the top of the Premier League table with a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The combination of both City and striker Haaland's great record against the Bundesliga side would suggest they ought to secure a place in the quarter-finals of Europe's premier club competition.

Inter have home advantage when they face Porto in the other round of 16 first-leg clash on Wednesday and the Serie A side boast an impressive home record against Portuguese clubs.

Stats Perform pick out the standout Opta data to preview the matches at Red Bull Arena and San Siro.

RB Leipzig v Manchester City

Former Borussia Dortmund striker Haaland will return to Germany to come up against a club that he has fond memories of facing.

The Norway international's finishing let him down at the City Ground at the weekend, but Leipzig know all about the threat he poses.

Haaland has found the back of the net six times in four games against Leipzig, scoring three braces against them during his time with Dortmund.

City have only lost one of their previous 17 matches against German sides in the Champions League (W14 D2), with the Premier League champions scoring an average of 2.6 goals per game in those fixtures. Their only defeat came away to Leipzig in last season’s group stage, when Pep Guardiola's side had already qualified for the last 16.

Leipzig will fancy their chances of causing an upset, though, as they have won each of their past four Champions League matches – which is their best run in the competition.

Only Julian Nagelsmann in the 2019-20 season – when they reached the semi-final – has won more matches in a Champions League campaign (six) in charge of RB Leipzig than Marco Rose's four this term.

Inter v Porto

Porto travel to Milan on a magnificent unbeaten run that stretches back to October 21.

Sergio Conceicao's tally of 30 Champions League wins is more than any other Porto boss has achieved and his 50 per cent win rate in the competition is second only to Julen Lopetegui's 56 per cent during his tenure.

This will be the 10th time Inter have hosted a Portuguese side in European competition. They are unbeaten in the previous nine – eight of which have been victories. The only side to avoid defeat were Boavista, in a goalless UEFA Cup draw back in 1991.

Edin Dzeko has been directly involved in four goals in six Champions League games this season – scoring three and proving one assist. That is more than any other Inter player.

Porto have won four successive Champions League games and will be aiming to equal their longest winning run in the competition – a run of five between October and December 2018, which was also set under Conceicao.

Mehdi Taremi has been directly involved in seven goals in five games for Porto in the Champions League this term – with five goals and two assists. That is the most by a player in a single campaign for the club since Moussa Marega's eight in the 2018-19 campaign.

Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has reportedly caught the attention of LaLiga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Bajcetic, 18, scored his first Premier League goal in a short substitute appearance against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and after impressing in a pair of January FA Cup starts, he forced his way into the first team.

He has started their past four Premier League fixtures as well as Tuesday's Champions League Final rematch against Madrid, indicating a rapid rise in the eyes of Jurgen Klopp.

The Spaniard left Celta Vigo in 2020 to head to the Premier League, but his home country could soon come calling to bring him back.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL TEEN CAPTURES IMAGINATION OF EUROPE'S ELITE

According to Fichajes, both Barcelona and Madrid "have been closely following his evolution", and they believe Bajcetic possesses the qualities necessary to perform at the highest level.

Barcelona reportedly view him as "an ideal piece to form a future midfield with Pedri and Gavi", while Madrid would like him to be the successor to ageing veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

His contract ties him to Anfield until 2027, but the Spanish giants could try to test his transfer value as soon as this off-season.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail is reporting Aston Villa will listen to offers for 30-year-old goalkeeper and World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez after the season with the hope that a significant transfer fee could fund a mini-rebuild.

– Leicester City will look to sell James Maddison at the end of the season if they can not convince him to sign a new contract, with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham named as interested parties, per Football Insider.

– According to The Telegraph, 31-year-old midfielder N'Golo Kante will sign a new contract to remain at Chelsea.

– Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting Inter will look to move on from wing-backs Denzel Dumfries and Robin Gosens at the end of the season, with Dumfries a potential piece in a swap deal for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku.

– According to the Evening Standard, Saudi Arabian clubs – including Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr – are circling 30-year-old Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha with the belief he would be open to a Middle East move for the right price.

Pep Guardiola's mindset is just to enjoy leading Manchester City in the Champions League rather than worrying about talk of a "disaster" if they still cannot win Europe's elite club competition.

Guardiola won the Champions League twice while Barcelona coach but has failed to add to that haul in otherwise successful stints in charge of Bayern Munich and City.

Perennial Premier League champions City have been repeatedly frustrated in Europe, consigned to upset losses to Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon in the knockout stages in Guardiola's first four seasons.

City then reached the final in 2020-21, only to again come up short against Chelsea.

Last year, there was a painful semi-final reverse at the hands of eventual champions Real Madrid, increasing external pressure on one of the greatest coaches of the modern game.

But ahead of entering the knockout rounds again against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, Guardiola revealed he has learned to look at life very differently – influenced by the negative outlook of others.

"From the first season, I get this," he said initially. "I arrive here, and people say, 'you arrive here to win the Champions League'."

Guardiola then added: "I would say if my career finished tomorrow, if I could not be manager literally tomorrow, I would be more than blessed with what I've done at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here in Europe and in other competitions.

"I could never expect to have the career I had in this short time. Not just the success we had all together over this period of 13, 14 years, but for the fact the way we played, this way I love it. I couldn't ask more.

"We want to do our best. What's going to happen is going to happen. In the end, destiny is already written. We'll do our best, as we have done. We have been close sometimes, sometimes not, sometimes closer.

"This is my feeling. I lived that position. I had the feeling of what we have done, all of us for many years, whatever happened, it is going to fail.

"Whatever I do personally in the future, whatever I have done in the past, I'm going to fail. Nothing will be enough.

"When I learned that, I just have fun, enjoy being here in this press conference. After, a good dinner with good wine, watch Liverpool-Madrid, a little bit Napoli, always a pleasure, prepare well the game.

"Leave it for the players: let's go, guys, try to do it again."

Guardiola said he had started to feel like this "a long time ago" but "mainly at City".

He continued: "Everyone put the perspective that everything is a disaster if you don't win some prizes. But I don't know if everyone put this perspective on themselves.

"I don't want to put pressure on myself. I'm blessed to be here.

"I never thought when I arrived, we have to win every year the Premier League, or every year we have to win three or four Champions Leagues. Except Real Madrid, the rest cannot do it.

"We just try to do what we have done. The last two seasons we have been really close and played really good games. We'll try to do it again."

Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte will miss Manchester City's away game against RB Leipzig with illness, Pep Guardiola revealed.

De Bruyne and Laporte were surprise absences from the City squad for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

But Guardiola was able to confirm the nature of their problems after landing in Germany.

The City manager was unsure if either player – both of whom started against Nottingham Forest on Saturday – would return for this weekend's game at Bournemouth, having come down with illness in recent days.

Those absences will leave Guardiola with decisions to make around his team selection, although he had already been provoking some curiosity by naming Bernardo Silva, a midfielder, at left-back.

Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko fulfilled that role previously, but Silva struggled against Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and then appeared to be at fault for Forest's equaliser on Saturday.

Guardiola said he was "not so stupid to think Bernardo is a full-back" as he explained his thought-process.

"People say we conceded the goal on the left side because Bernardo's playing there, but people don't realise – the view is like he's a left-back who has to defend in that position," he said.

"Bernardo helped us to do what we had done against Nottingham Forest. Without Bernardo, it was not possible to concede [only] one counter-attack and one or two actions at the end and [have] the amount of control of the game."

Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte have been left out of Manchester City's squad to play RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

John Stones is also absent from the group, although he has been missing since January with a hamstring injury.

There was no immediate explanation for De Bruyne and Laporte not travelling to Germany, with Pep Guardiola due to meet the media later on Tuesday.

Both players started Saturday's 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest. De Bruyne was substituted in the 88th minute, while Laporte completed the match.

Meanwhile, Leipzig were hoping to have Christopher Nkunku available after he returned to action for the first time since November.

Having played at Wolfsburg at the weekend, Nkunku could not complete Leipzig's full training session on Tuesday, the club said, due to a muscle issue.

Erling Haaland is the striker Manchester City needed and suggestions the Norwegian only scores "easy" goals are "a lie", according to his team-mate Ederson.

Haaland has scored 32 goals in 31 appearances for City across all competitions since his move from Borussia Dortmund last year – more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues.

He has hit 26 of those goals in the Premier League, but with City struggling to pull clear of Arsenal and Manchester United in the title race, the 22-year-old has attracted criticism recently.

Arsenal great Thierry Henry suggested Tottenham's Harry Kane may have been a better fit for City, while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Haaland "might have picked the wrong club".

However, Ederson believes Haaland is well-suited to City's style, though he acknowledges Pep Guardiola's men have had to adapt to his characteristics. 

"When he arrived, we said he was going to score a lot – and that's been happening. He is a brilliant goalscorer, he always looks to score and help the team," Ederson told UEFA.com.

"He is the striker we needed, because in comparison to Gabriel [Jesus], they are different players. Gabi likes to come in from out wide, he is stronger and more versatile. Haaland plays more centrally, looking to get into the box, he is a target in the area. 

"That has been the major difference. When you get into the final third you have someone who will always be in the area.

"Many people say most of the goals he scores are easy – but that is a lie. It's his positioning – that's his best ability. He doesn't score easy goals, he positions himself very well. 

"I hope he continues to score many goals, making us happy and we'll keep working together for all the titles."

City return to Champions League action when they visit RB Leipzig for the first leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday, and with Haaland netting 28 times in 23 appearances in the competition throughout his career, the club hope his finishing ability will help deliver their first European crown.

Ederson is in no doubt as to the importance of continental success to City, saying: "That's our main objective, the main objective of the club. 

"We've been trying [to win it] and will carry on trying. We haven't won it yet, we reached the final [in 2021], and a few semi-finals, and we didn't come out of it with a good result. 

"But I think this year, we're more than capable of getting to the final and challenging for the title.

"Now this title is what the club needs, it's what we athletes need and it's what Guardiola needs here at the club, too. This year, we're going to try. We're going after it."

Haaland scored six goals in four appearances against Leipzig during his time with Dortmund, averaging a goal every 60 minutes against them.