Nico Aurelius: Winning the game is absolutely our goal in order to put us in a favorable position in the Champions League.
2026-01-20 02:04
Manchester City, nicknamed "The Citizens," will travel to Bodø/Glimt for a crucial UEFA Champions League match in the 7th round of the 2025/26 season. City midfielder Nico Aureli stated that finishing in the top 8 would put the team in a more advantageous position, therefore winning the match is absolutely the players' only goal.
Goals from Semenho and Rajan Scherki secured a 2-0 away victory against Newcastle in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final last week, giving them a crucial advantage in their pursuit of the final. However, in the earlier Manchester derby in the Premier League, City ultimately lost 0-2 to Manchester United.
In the Champions League, Manchester City defeated La Liga giants Real Madrid 2-1 in their last match, thanks to goals from Nico Aureli and Erling Haaland. Currently, Manchester City sits in 4th place in the Champions League standings with 13 points; securing a top-8 finish will guarantee them direct qualification for the round of 16.
Nico Aurelius, 20, said, "It's really important to finish in the top eight, which means we can skip the playoffs and get more rest. Winning is definitely our goal, as it will put us in a very favorable position. We came here to win, which will improve our current ranking."
“We’ve watched Bodø/Glimt’s game footage and know they are very strong. We’ve also seen the results of some strong teams playing here, so we know it will be a tough match, but our goal remains to win.”
Furthermore, when discussing the challenges of playing in the cold weather and on artificial turf, Nico Aurelli said, "It will be a different experience. We will train on this kind of field to get used to it beforehand. It's really cold here, and the playing environment is quite different from what we usually experience."
“We’re not used to such low temperatures, but it’s similar in some ways in places like Newcastle. That’s no excuse; we just need to wear more layers. We’re excited for this game; it’s a different kind of challenge for us.”
Related News
