Man City coach Pep Guardiola his team knows Real Madrid excels during difficult situations which is evident with their injuries weakening their defense before the Champions League playoff game on Tuesday.
Both Real Madrid and Man City needed to enter a two-legged playoff because they ended the league-phase at 11th and 22nd places respectively and did not secure a place among the top eight sides for automatic advancement to the Champions League last 16.
The teams will face each other in the Champions League knockout stage for the fourth straight year following their encounters in four knockout matches since 2020.
La Liga leaders Real faces a match at the Etihad without key defenders Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and David Alaba during the first playoff tie leg on Tuesday.
Throughout this season both teams have struggled with multiple injuries. Man City coach Guardiola said that Madrid managed their team problems better than we did because they lead the league standings and maintain competition with Atletico Madrid.
“That shows again the consistency they have. Their position as a massive competitor becomes evident when the season concludes. We know it.
Our experiences confirm that they consistently deliver outstanding performances during critical moments whenever we face them. We need two strong performances in order to advance.
Real Madrid added Kylian Mbappe to their powerful offensive lineup after their last encounter last year with the support of Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. Guardiola stated that stopping Real’s forwards would be impossible because “They are exceptional.”
These four players demonstrate exceptional skill in their passing combinations and individual confrontations while maintaining control of the ball. Since everyone is aware of their exceptional abilities, you should limit their impact as much as possible while recognizing that they will succeed no matter what.
This season has brought difficult challenges for City on the pitch as they drop to fifth place in the Premier League while trailing Liverpool by 15 points and facing a virtual end to their hopes of winning a fifth consecutive title.
Ruben Dias described the current season as his toughest since he started playing for City in 2020 but maintained his optimism about the team’s prospects in the Champions League.
In any situation which starts off as incredibly difficult one can go on to accomplish something remarkable by the conclusion, he explained to the press.
Currently we remain in that situation. We understand that both our opponents are tough and reaching our goal will present significant challenges.
We need to place our trust in our dressing room players because we possess abundant talent. We need to apply our talents correctly. The power of belief enables us to accomplish any goal.