Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, expressed his complete satisfaction after his team defeated Turkish club Galatasaray 2-0 in the eighth round of the league stage of the UEFA Champions League. This result raised the English team's tally to 16 points, securing them the eighth position and direct qualification to the round of 16, while Galatasaray's tally remained at 10 points in the twentieth position, requiring them to go through the playoffs.

Guardiola said that finishing among the top eight is a significant achievement under the new tournament system, explaining that the Champions League has become completely different compared to past years due to the strength of the competitors. He added: "We will be in the tournament atmosphere until March, and when we return, we will assess the situation," noting that he watched the end of the Benfica match and revealed that Jeremy Doku is injured and will miss the match against Tottenham on Sunday.

The City coach spoke about the details of the match against Galatasaray, emphasizing that his goalkeeper was outstanding, even though the Turkish team created chances and posed dangerous moments. He explained that the match was not easy and mentioned that his team went through difficult situations at this stage, recalling the previous loss in Norway. However, he stressed the importance of advancing to the next stage without additional injuries.

Guardiola also pointed out that the qualification calculations were precise until the last moments, explaining that Real Madrid could have scored or drawn, which would have kept City out of the top eight. He said: "Real Madrid could have scored, or the match could have ended in a draw, and then we would have been out of the top eight. When the goalkeeper came out of his goal, we shouted at him: 'Where are you going?' but he scored the goal."

He expressed his great admiration for the new tournament system because it makes every match feel like a final, especially away games, where many teams fight to enter the top 24. He also expressed regret for missing many opportunities, considering that the team was more effective in Europe compared to the English league. He was pleased to see Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündoğan again, affirming that luck was on his team's side in the end, which made him feel relieved after this qualification.