Champions League holders Manchester City are favourites till the semi-finals – Joleon Lescott

LONDON – Champions League holders Manchester City are “favourites at every stage of the competition, until the semi-finals”, according to former City and England defender Joleon Lescott.

The centre-back, who played 160 games for City from 2009 to 2014, winning two English Premier League titles, says a key reason for this is that manager Pep Guardiola has “eradicated complacency”.

He said on TNT Sports ahead of City’s last-16, first-leg clash at Copenhagen on Feb 13: “It’s a tough place to go with a great atmosphere and they use that to their advantage. They’re a good team and well-organised...

“City have enough for most teams or pretty much any team over two legs, because they average two goals a game maybe, which means you’re having to score three or four.

“They will be the favourites at every stage of the competition, until the semi-finals – if they progress that far...

“Pep has eradicated complacency and they are super-efficient... The opposition has to play at their absolute maximum and it still might not be enough.”

European football returns at the perfect time for City, with Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne’s comebacks from injury making the holders look formidable.

Guardiola’s men head to Parken Stadium on the back of 10 consecutive wins in all competitions.

A run that began while Haaland and de Bruyne were still sidelined by injury has only gained momentum since their return.

Haaland scored his first goals since November as City eventually broke down Everton to win 2-0 at the Etihad on Feb 10.

De Bruyne had started on the bench with the Champions League in mind, as Guardiola manages the Belgian’s minutes after his season began with a hamstring tear that ruled him out for five months.

But the 32-year-old has looked like his old self since returning, with seven goal contributions in eight games this season.

De Bruyne was the provider for Haaland’s second goal against the Toffees and the Norwegian is delighted to have his delivery to feed off once more.

“I try to do the same runs with everyone, but with him it’s a bit more like I know I’m going to get it perfect. I know the ball is going to come,” said Haaland.

“You can see I don’t even look at the ball for two seconds when he has it because I’m focusing on running towards the goal.

“That’s the difference, nothing bad towards other players, but it’s the small difference of knowing that the ball will come.”

The unlikeliest team in the last 16, Copenhagen have shown they should not be taken lightly.

They beat Manchester United at Parken, drew with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena and took four points from their games against Galatasaray. Last season, they were unbeaten at home in the Champions League, drawing with Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and even City.

Copenhagen’s sporting director feels their positive results in Europe, particularly at home, have given them the belief to play more assertively.

Peter Christensen told ESPN: “Of course, we are the underdogs, but we decided to change the way we approach the games.

“We’re not waiting in a defensive 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, we’ve decided to have a go. We decided to have a more aggressive and more optimistic approach, and to play with more courage, even if we’re up against world-class players.

“The mindset changed because of our experiences as a club, and also the results. Because at home, we’ve been able to compete against anyone. That’s a massive factor.”

Coach Jacob Neestrup said: “Manchester City are a complete team with great individual players. They are the best club team in the world.

“Having said that, we showed last year that it is possible to get a good result at home against them.

“It’s about taking our opportunities and producing a useful result that can take us to Manchester with a good starting point.” AFP