Manchester City will have to take their game to a whole new level to eliminate Real Madrid – because mental vulnerability has plagued their entire season.
According to Betfair ambassador Alan Shearer, who claims that Pep Guardiola's wounded Premier League champions remain a shadow of their former unstoppable themselves.
Shearer explained: “Is there a mentality problem? These collapses have happened so often that it must now be in their mind. I think there are so many things you can look at: recruitment, lack of legs in midfield, admitted as much Goals as they do once they have admitted one and injuries.
“When you put all those things in the pot, the doubt comes in. It must be more than one thing because it happened so often this season.”
In the meantime, Real Madrid is hopeful on an important double fitness boost for the play-off decider of next week's Champions League. Defensive duo Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba missed the dramatic 3-2 triumph in the Etihad with hamstring and thigh problems respectively.
But both center backs focus on the comebacks on Wednesday evening, while Los Blancos has a turn to end the track at the Bernabeu.
Rudiger, who resulted in the winning penalty by the quarterfinals of last season, damaged his hamstring in the 1-0 defeat of Real Madrid at Espanyol at the start of the month and has followed a strict rehabilitation program.
Carlo Ancelotti said: “We need Rudiger and Alaba for the return bone and I think they will be available.”
Ex-Bayern Munich-Man Alaba played only 70 minutes of action this season after a dismissal of 399 days with a serious front cross-blowing facility.
In the vision of Shearer, even returning as Rudiger and Alaba, City – who have given 17 goals this season in just nine Champions League matches – demolished their work to destroy Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius JR, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham.
He continued: “We also have to take into account that they play against three or four of the best players in world football in the forward line that Real Madrid got.
“Madrid would always get opportunities, but I said on Co-Comms, you can't give them the opportunities that Man City gave them and then expect to win the game because they just have too much quality.
“Man City could have been 3-0 within ten minutes if Madrid had taken their chances, but that said, I thought there were some positive points for the city.
“Yes, we'll continue over the negatives and how poor they were defensive, but I thought there were many positives after the first 15 minutes.
“Erling Haaland, who had not scored in four games against Real Madrid, now has two out of five, but I would still be surprised if they turn it around because they have been so bad and keeping Real Madrid Quartet still for 90 minutes In the Bernabeu will be so difficult. “
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