The Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, discussed his team's position in the Champions League ahead of the match against Borussia Dortmund scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Etihad Stadium, confirming that the team needs nine additional points to secure qualification to the Round of 16. He praised the Norwegian star Erling Haaland, describing him as an incredibly humble world-class player.

Manchester City currently occupies the seventh position in the current stage of the tournament with seven points, collected from victories against Napoli and Villarreal, and a draw with Monaco, with five matches remaining against Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Galatasaray, Real Madrid, and Bodo/Glimt.

Guardiola said: "We need nine additional points to qualify for the knockout stages; the matches played at home in front of our fans will be extremely important."

The Spanish manager added, explaining: "It's very significant; in the old Champions League system, if you achieved nine points in your home matches and one victory away, you would likely qualify."

He continued: "But now the situation is completely different; I'm not saying it will be easy, because Dortmund always performs at its best in this tournament, reaching advanced stages and consistently qualifying from the groups."

Guardiola noted that the team suffered from injuries last season that affected its European campaign, saying: "Last season, injuries were the reason, especially during that period when we played many matches that determined our qualification in the Champions League."

He added: "We were prepared for that system, whether old or new, but we missed many players at a crucial time, which made things more difficult."

Guardiola praised the Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, saying: "It's hard to find a true world-class player who possesses great humility and always thinks about the team's benefit."

He added: "I know he wants to score goals, but I always feel he looks for what's best for the team, and that's something hard to find."

He continued: "He has the talent, ability, and kindness, and whatever description you choose, he deserves it. Of course, scoring goals is the best way to help us, and that's very clear, but he signed a long-term contract with the club, and he is involved in many aspects within the team, and we will always be by his side."

Guardiola explained that Haaland has become more influential in the team due to his desire to help his teammates both defensively and offensively, emphasizing the importance of managing his physical effort carefully.

The Spanish coach said: "His presence in set pieces is very important; he is tall and aggressive and supports us defensively. We try to minimize the effort he exerts in running because he is a huge player, and he cannot play every three days and exert great efforts over long distances; I don't want him to do that."

Guardiola concluded his statements by saying: "If we maintain ball control through passing throughout the season, we will be able to manage matches and avoid injuries; only in this way can we continue, and Haaland helps us a lot in that."