Blues have to improve - Pep

PEP Guardiola returns to the Champions League stage with Manchester City claiming his team are not playing well enough to win the competition.

City, who came through a play-off against Steaua Bucharest to qualify, host Borussia Monchengladbach in their opening Group 'C' fixture at the Etihad Stadium tonight.

Guardiola has made an impressive start since taking charge at City in the summer, winning his first six matches and earning widespread praise for some of their play.

Yet that is not good enough for Guardiola, a two-time Champions League winner when in charge of Barcelona, who is demanding improvement from his players.

The Spaniard said: "We have to improve a lot of things.

"Now, after four games in the Premier League, I would like to tell our fans that, (while) we may be first, (with) the way we have played up until now, it will not be enough to win the title.

"Of course, we are so happy for the results, for the numbers and the way we're playing after two months.

"But it is not enough to win the Premier League or achieve the big, big targets in the Champions League."

City faced Monchengladbach in the group stage last season and needed late goals to win both games while Guardiola's Bayern Munich took just a point off them in two Bundesliga games last term. Guardiola is expecting a tough test.

Guardiola said: "It's a brave team, a brave coach and one of the best team of talents in Europe right now. If we let them play, we will suffer."