Pep Guardiola anticipates a challenging yet rewarding encounter as Manchester City takes on Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday. The home team is seeking the permission of Uefa to shut the stadium’s roof in a bid to maximise the intensity of the crowd’s support.
Man City’s victory in last year’s semi-final saw Real Madrid sent packing, with the former securing a 5-1 win on aggregate, and a definitive 4-0 defeat of Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. However, Guardiola feels the past triumph doesn’t tilt the scales in their favour as he sees both teams as evenly matched. He wants his team, the current champions, to take charge on Tuesday night.
He said, “We mustn’t turn up merely to keep the game under control, but aim to hurt them, even punish them, to demonstrate to them that our intent is to score goals. ” He acknowledged Real Madrid’s ability to control various facets of the game and stressed the need for his team to impose their style of play.
Guardiola explained, “Their high press and aggression are notable, but they will back off if we can put together a good sequence of passes. Their transition play is strong with players like Rodrygo, Bellingham, Valverde, and Vinícius Júnior.”
Guardiola is optimistic that City can hold on to the trophy. “We have a belief that we did it before and we can do it again,” he commented, acknowledging their successful run to the finals and influenced by last season’s impressive group stage performance.
However, he remains realistic about the difficulty of the task, noting that repeating a convincing win over Real Madrid is nearly impossible. He stated, “Overcoming them twice in the exact same way is almost impossible. Defeating them once in this competition is hard enough, let alone twice in succession. We have to smart about our approach in tomorrow’s game and see what happens in the second leg.”
In his inaugural season with Real, Jude Bellingham found the back of the net 20 times, including a quartet of goals in just six group contests, whilst also providing six assists. Recognising his exceptional in-brain qualities, Guardiola noted, “I realised his special ability when he faced us at age 17 as part of Dortmund [team]. Beyond his talents, his mental prowess sets him apart.” Bellingham’s integration into Real’s illustrious team and under the guidance of manager Carlo has been remarkable.
His inaugural season’s performance in tallying goals and assists, along with his towering presence in the offensive box has been laudable, not only with Real Madrid but also with the England national squad. Guardiola believes the 20-year-old has a promising career trajectory.
Manchester City is likely to miss Kyle Walker and Nathan Aké owing to their own muscle injuries, while Real is expected to learn if Uefa will accede to their request to seal the roof at the massive Bernabéu stadium, which can hold up to 85,000 spectators, on Tuesday morning.
Rodri, who netted Manchester City’s decisive goal in the prior season’s final, feels the team will maintain their cool. He expresses his hope stating, “if I had to ask anything from the team, it would be to play with peacefulness and calmness, and to put forward our finest performance. Winning the competition provides you with more poise and calmness.”
– Guardian.