Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that he will adapt to the challenges Stoke City will pose during Saturday's Premier League clash between the two sides.
City needed an 87th-minute own goal to squeeze past Sunderland on the opening weekend, and will continue their campaign away to Stoke in Saturday's lunchtime kickoff - a match that has been tipped to pose tests which Guardiola has rarely come up against during his time with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard will not make wholesale changes to his tactics, but believes that his players are smart enough to find a way past the Potters if they perform to the same level as they did during their 5-0 drubbing of Steaua Bucuresti in midweek.
"All of the managers try to control as much as possible. We are going to try to fight for the title so we are going to try to adapt. We're not going to complain that the pitch isn't good. It's 11 vs. 11 on the pitch. It's my first time in my life at Stoke City and let's go," he told the club's official website.
"In Germany, we didn't always play on sunny days. We played in tough conditions as well there – in Spain, in Pamplona, in San Sebastian for example, the conditions are tough. We're going to play in those conditions and OK, we'll do it.
"It's not time to change a lot because I don't want to confuse my players but I have to say, I am impressed the most that they are so intelligent. The way we played in Bucharest was a high, high level. We did it so quickly. That's because of the intelligence and quality of the players. The players they move depending on the move of their teammates really good and that's not easy."
Out-of-favour duo Joe Hart and Yaya Toure have both been included in the squad for Saturday's match.
Barney Corkhill
