The question is whether Manchester City can combine a gradual freshening up of their squad at the same time as they fight on the domestic and international front for trophies.
The 30-year-old has said he did not suffer any serious injuries and has returned to training to be available for England's opening Group C match.
Arsenal took the race to the final day last season and are strongly tipped to end Manchester City's dominance this time.
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Luton Town
A summary of Tuesday's League Cup matches.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
His agent Bo Gustavsson told Reuters he had passed away Monday morning.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed he is interested in signing Everton's young centre back John Stones, who has been linked with a 50 million-pounds ($65.72 million) move to the Etihad Stadium.
Free-scoring Manchester City will face the toughest test yet of their European credentials when they face European aristocrats Barcelona in the first leg of the standout tie of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday.
Manchester City went top of the Premier League, at least until Manchester United play at Stoke City later on Saturday, when they beat Everton 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium with goals from second-half substitutes Mario Balotelli and James Milner.
The Champions League quarter-final between Liverpool and Manchester City is one of the most anticipated games of the season pitting the Premier League's runaway leaders against the top scorers in Europe's elite competition.
Gareth Southgate said he is confident that fans will come to be captivated by the "different" squad
Manchester City have suspended midfielder Joey Barton for the rest of the season after a training ground incident, British media said on Tuesday.
Alvaro Negredo grabbed a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed West Ham United 6-0 in their League Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday in another body blow for the beleaguered London club.
Erling Haaland had the same points as Lionel Messi but lost out by having fewer first-place votes from national team captains.
Phil Foden kept Manchester City's Premier League title challenge on track with a superb second-half double as his side hit back to clinch a 3-1 home victory over Manchester United on Sunday.
IMAGES from the FA Cup final played between Manchester City and Manchester United, at Wembley Stadium, London, Britain, on Saturday
Kyle Walker extends Manchester City stay until 2026
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini believes tiredness was behind their 3-0 defeat by Liverpool on Wednesday after a third successive Premier League loss put a hefty dent in their faltering title hopes.
Mohamed Salah's early penalty in the return match on Thursday gave Liverpool a 1-0 victory in Italy but Klopp's side went out 3-1 on aggregate.
Manchester City clinched a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, while Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Aston Villa.
IMAGES from Saturday's English Premier League matches.
France and Spain will step up security ahead of the Champions League quarter-finals in Madrid and Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, top officials said, as Islamic State threats cast a shadow over Europe's top club soccer tournament.
Goals from Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero sent ManchesterCity into an FA Cup final against Wigan Athletic after they beat holders Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley on Sunday.
City must win at Spurs or Arsenal will be champions says Guardiola
Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season ended with a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Newcastle United; Champions Manchester City took full advantage of Chelsea's surprise reverse to cut the gap at the top.
Kevin de Bruyne struck twice to inspire Manchester City to a dominant 4-2 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday and move the champions level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Manchester City's Premier League title celebrations were put on hold as rivals Manchester United produced a remarkable comeback from two goals down to win their derby clash 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Frank Lampard, Chelsea's all-time record scorer, came on as a late substitute for Manchester City and scored their equaliser in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad as the champions ended his former club's perfect start to the Premier League season on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola will return to the Nou Camp in the Champions League group stage after his new club Manchester City were drawn against his former Barcelona team on Thursday. The two sides were drawn in Group C alongside Borussia Moenchengladbach and former European champions Celtic in one of the toughest of the eight sections. Spanish coach Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice with Barca, faced the Catalans when he was in charge of Bayern Munich two seasons ago and suffered a 5-3 defeat in the semi-finals.
Liverpool, beaten by Arsenal on Sunday, lead the table on 51 points from 23 games but City are up to 49 from 22 and Arsenal on 49 from 23.
Manchester City made the most of a case of mistaken identity and kept alive their faint title hopes thanks to a much-needed 3-0 victory over 10-man West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.
Manchester City survived a scare to beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Parken Stadium on Tuesday, with Phil Foden scoring late to ensure a two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg.
The revamped Champions League will feature a tennis-style seeding system for the last-16 knockout phase, UEFA said.
A brilliantly-worked goal by Ryan Christie and a Justin Kluivert penalty gave Bournemouth shock 2-0 Premier League win at home to 10-man Arsenal.
Barcelona eased into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-1 aggregate victory over Manchester City on Wednesday and Paris St Germain joined them after overwhelming Bayer Leverkusen 6-1 over the two legs of their last-16 tie.
Lewis Hamilton revealed he is a big Arsenal fan and 'has been waiting for' them to win the Premier League (PL) for his whole life.
All the action from La Liga and Serie A matches played on Monday
Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea.
Pep Guardiola to be a hard task master who will extract the best out of a side that has shone domestically but struggled against Europe's elite.
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