Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain has admitted his side have been handed a more favourable Champions League draw than fellow Premier League clubs Tottenham and Liverpool but says City must respect their Group F opponents this term.
City, who were ousted by Liverpool in the quarterfinals last season, drew Hoffenheim, Shakhtar Donetsk and Lyon in Thursday's UCL group stage draw.
However, Begiristain acknowledged that Pep Guardiola's men were more fortunate than some of their Prem rivals. Tottenham will face Barcelona Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven in Group B, while Liverpool were drawn in Group C against PSG, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.