There's a mark on Pep Guardiola's CV at Manchester City - and the only way of removing it is bringing the European Cup back to the Etihad.
Manchester City are keen to win the Champions League and will be confident of ending their duck this season. The Premier League champions face Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, with the first leg taking place in England on Tuesday.
The return leg is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, and Guardiola will be desperate to take a healthy lead to Bavaria. His players were at City's training ground on Monday to be put through their paces. Here is what we learned from that crucial session.
Haaland's new haircut
Erling Haaland has raised eyebrows by unveiling a new braids haircut for the big game. It's fair to say Guardiola won't be copying his style anytime soon, but he will be hoping the Norwegian continues his remarkable form. Haaland has already scored 44 goals this season.
Guardiola told reporters on Monday, "Erling is so important for us. I cannot deny the goals and the influence. He came to help us to be here in the Champions League, but at the same time to help us in the Premier League and FA Cup.
"It's important to have a player who can score a goal from nothing, but we've scored many goals for many years in the Champions League. Against Monaco, we scored six goals and were out. Against Tottenham, we scored four goals and were out.
"We scored four goals against Madrid and were out. I always had the feeling that we scored with a false nine, with [former strikers] Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, with Erling. We've always scored goals. That was not the problem."
Grealish raring to go
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Jack Grealish was labelled as an expensive flop after his difficult first season at City, but the £100million man is now proving to be worth every penny. He has played a crucial role in City's push for a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble this term.
Grealish has started 11 consecutive league games, which is a superb achievement considering the attacking quality in City's squad. He scored and provided an assist in City's 4-1 win against Southampton last time out and will be keen to inflict misery on Bayern.
Foden still missing
Phil Foden was not spotted training with his team-mates on Monday after having his appendix removed. The England international was rushed to hospital during the international break for surgery, with the routine operation going to plan.
Foden missed the 4-1 victories against Liverpool and Southampton, and he is not expected to play in either leg of the quarter-final Champions League tie. It's believed Foden is aiming to make his comeback against Arsenal in the title clash on April 26.
Phillips doing everything
Kalvin Phillips hasn't started a single Premier League game since his £45m switch from Leeds last summer - with a shoulder injury not helping his cause - and will be desperate to make an impression on Guardiola's side sooner rather than later.
Phillips trained on Monday but is unlikely to start against Bayern. Nevertheless, the Englishman will be ready to make an impact if called upon from the bench.
Guardiola plotting glory
Guardiola will come up against an old enemy on Tuesday following Thomas Tuchel's recent appointment at Bayern. Tuchel's Chelsea defeated City 1-0 in the 2021 Champions League final, and many critics are tipping the German to beat Guardiola again.
The Spaniard wore a snood and a woolly hat on a cold Easter Monday, as he watched his players train and devised a plan to beat Tuchel. Guardiola was asked about that Champions League final defeat during his pre-match press conference on Monday.
He said, "I was sad but I congratulated him [Tuchel] and Chelsea for the victory. I reviewed the game a month later. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but at the same time it was not a good enough performance to win it. It was a tight, tight game, like they always have been against Chelsea in that period. So forget it and try again."
And the fact Guardiola is taking on his former employers Bayern makes the tie extra spicy. He added, "Bayern are not a team built to think it's going to happen in the second leg. It's a team built to come here to win. From my experience when I was there, I had the feeling that it doesn't matter where you play, you have to win."
Right now, it's unclear how this mammoth European clash will unfold. All will be revealed when the two teams meet on Tuesday.
