Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was quick to emphasize Real Madrid's custom to produce their best in difficult times prior to their play-off collision of the Champions League.
The side of Carlo Ancelotti will travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday with various defensive injuries, including people like Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger and Eder Militao.
Los Blancos also misses David Alaba, where the club also confirms that Lucas Vazquez would also be absent after maintaining a hamstring problem in the Madrid derby.
Both teams have received a blockbuster strop in a two-legged play-off, which ended the new classification of 36 teams in 11th and 22 respectively.
City will meet Madrid for the fourth time in the knockout phase and only become the fourth match in the history of the European Cup / Champions League that is played in four consecutive seasons.
This will be the 13th time that the citizens are confronted with Madrid in the Champions League (W4 D5 L3). Of the opponents who played the Liga side against five or more times in their European Cup / Champions League history, their 25% profit percentage against City is their lowest against every opponent.
The side of Guardiola has also struggled this period with injuries, but the city boss admitted that Madrid tackled that issue better than his team, with the LaLala champions at the top of the Spanish top flight.
“I think both teams have had problems with injuries during the season. Madrid has treated it much better than we are still top of the competition and fight against Atletico Madrid,” Guardiola told reporters on Monday.
“That again shows the consistency they have. In the end they are huge competitors. We know.
“We have often confronted them with them and how they bring the best in them at the difficult moments – we know that. Of course we have to play two good games to continue.”
At home at home for a number of #ucl promotion pic.twitter.com/vkbfusksc7
– Manchester City (@Mancity) February 9, 2025
The two parties met each other for the last time in April 2024 in Manchester after a fascinating first-leg meeting in the Bernabeu who ended 3-3 in the quarter-final phase.
City and Madrid could not be separated in the second stage, with the strike by Kevin De Bruyne who canceled the Rodrygo opener to bring the draw to extra time and then punishes.
But Andriy Lunin saved Spot kicks from Bernardo Silva and replaces Mateo Kovacic, with Rudiger performing to send the final winners to the last four.
Since their last meeting, Real has strengthened an already formidable attack with the signing of Kylian Mbappe, which is supported by Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
Indeed, only Lionel Messi (nine) and Karim Benzema (seven) were directly involved in more Champions League objectives against City than Madrid Duo Vinicius (two goals, three assists) and Rodrygo (four goals, one assist), with five each .
“They are exceptional,” Guardiola said on Madrid's attack with stars, even suggesting that the quartet is impossible to stop.
“How they combine, the runners, the ability that is one-to-one, how they keep the ball, all four are exceptional.
“Everyone knows, so you have to reduce that involvement as much as possible, knowing that it will happen, accept it.”
City has passed a test period on the field this season and is in fifth place in the Premier League, 15 points on drifts from leaders Liverpool.
Ruben Dias, who came to Guardiola on Tuesday at the duties for the competition, insisted that this campaign was his most challenging since he came to the club in 2020.
Dias, however, remained optimistic about the opportunities of his team to lift silverware this season, especially in the Champions League.
“I am firmly convinced that even in the most difficult scenario, the most difficult start, you can still do something and eventually achieve something beautiful,” he said.
“At the moment we are still in that position. Of course we know how difficult our opposition is and how difficult our way will be to get there.
“But it's a matter of believing in what we have in the dressing room, and we have a lot of talent. We just have to use them in the right way.
“With the right conviction we can do everything.”
Comments