PEP GUARDIOLA admits helium has nary thought which Manchester City volition crook up for their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid.
City’s “incredible machine” malfunctioned during a disastrous tally astatine the extremity of 2024 and they were thumped 5-1 successful the Prem by Arsenal 9 days ago.
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GettyAhead of tonight’s play-off archetypal limb astatine the Etihad, brag Guardiola said: “This play we struggled a lot. Before I would feel, ‘Yeah, the squad is consistent, we tin bash it’. Now it’s like, ‘I don’t know’.
“You ne'er cognize earlier the crippled what’s going to happen, however they react. And present we’ve had a batch of injuries, players are a small spot up and down.”
City person won 7 of their past 10 games successful each competitions, a tally that included the humiliation by the Gunners and a 4-2 nonaccomplishment to Paris Saint-Germain.
Guardiola’s reigning Prem champs are presently 5th — 15 points down leaders Liverpool.
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And helium said: “We are not being consistent. What defined this squad successful the past decennary is we are an unthinkable instrumentality each 3 days.
“Otherwise, we could not triumph six titles successful 7 years and these unthinkable trophies.
“Of course, we can perform good connected Tuesday, of people we tin execute good successful Madrid, of people we tin execute good to the extremity of the season,
“But before, I could archer you, ‘OK, it’s going to hap now’ — and now I don’t cognize however it’s going to react, that’s the reality.”
This is the 5th clip successful six seasons the heavyweights person been drawn unneurotic aft struggling successful the new-look league phase.
Pep added: “I cognize the crippled plan. I cognize the mode we privation to play.
“I inactive person doubts for the selection, due to the fact that I person injuries and radical travel back.
“But astatine the aforesaid time, I’m truthful optimistic and calm. We’ll spot what happens.
“Of people it would beryllium bully to proceed for the club, for the prestige to triumph this competition.”
Pep knows it volition beryllium “impossible” to support Real Madrid’s Fab Four quiescent for some legs of their heavyweight European eliminator.
But City indispensable halt Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham from being excessively influential if they are to marque the last-16 of the Champions League.
Guardiola admitted: “All 4 are exceptional. It’s intolerable — 90 minutes, 180 minutes oregon 200 minutes if there’s other clip — to power these 4 players.
“How they combine, the quality 1 against one, however they support the ball.
“We person to trim their engagement arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. They person the quality to support it and marque other touches and other passes.
“When that happens, they tin run, they tin harvester the shortest passes with the moments successful behind.”
City defender Ruben Dias pointed retired the Premier League champions person “guns” of their ain successful the dressing country specified arsenic Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.
And the past 2 winners of this tourney could hardly cognize each different immoderate better.
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MAN CITY 2 REAL MADRID 1
2019-20 past 16 – Man City won 4-2 connected aggregate
LATE strikes from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus completed a 2-1 first-leg comeback triumph successful Madrid, though the pandemic meant City were not capable to decorativeness the occupation — by the aforesaid scoreline — until 163 days later.
REAL MADRID 3 MAN CITY 1
2021-22 semi-final – Real Madrid triumph 6-5 connected aggregate
FOLLOWING their 4-3 first-leg win, City were cruising into a last against Liverpool erstwhile Riyad Mahrez made it 1-0 connected the night.
But Rodrygo’s injury-time treble and Karim Benzema’s extra-time punishment KO’d them.
MAN CITY 4 REAL MADRID 0
2022-23 semi-final – Man City triumph 5-1 connected aggregate
THERE was nary stopping City this clip and aft a 1-1 gully successful Madrid, they blew Real away.
Bernardo Silva’s treble acceptable the code earlier precocious Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez goals booked a last spot against Inter Milan.
MAN CITY 1 REAL MADRID 1
2023-24 quarter-finals – 4-4 connected aggregate, Real Madrid triumph 4-3 connected pens
CITY could not repetition their heroics from the twelvemonth earlier arsenic Madrid someway held retired for penalties — contempt facing 34 shots connected goal.
Bernardo and Mateo Kovacic missed from 12 yards and Antonio Rudiger deed the winner.
This volition beryllium the 5th play successful six they person been drawn unneurotic — each having gone done doubly truthful far.
City person mislaid conscionable 1 of 8 legs against the Spanish giants.
But their defence has struggled to support cleanable sheets this play – peculiarly without the extortion usually provided by midfielder Rodri since helium ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament successful September.
And the summation of French superstar Mbappe to the Madrid sides City person faced successful erstwhile years makes their task adjacent harder.
Guardiola insisted: “We are going to effort to enforce our crippled and beryllium smart, particularly successful the archetypal leg.
“The mode you person to play. It’s important to work the tempo. We person to play to get a bully effect to instrumentality to the Bernabeu.”
Madrid person their ain antiaircraft problems truthful onslaught could beryllium the champion signifier of defence for City.
Guardiola added: “What we were, what we are — I cognize perfectly.
“But the squad has something special, our team. Hopefully, connected Tuesday we tin beryllium it.”
The instrumentality of Dias — who has started lone 19 matches successful an injury-hit run — volition beryllium important to City’s hopes.
And the Portuguese defender, 27, claimed that holders Madrid should beryllium disquieted too. He said: “Since I’ve been present this is the astir difficult season.
“But adjacent successful the astir hard times you tin execute thing beautiful. We cognize however hard it volition be. But we person loads of guns successful the dressing country and conscionable person to usage them the close way.”
Dias believes City person learned plentifulness from their previous meetings with Madrid — and felt aggrieved to beryllium knocked retired of past April’s quarter-final connected penalties.
Two years ago, City memorably won 4-0 astatine the Etihad connected their mode to a historical Treble.
A twelvemonth earlier that they were knocked retired successful a melodramatic semi-final successful the Spanish capital.
Dias added: “When we won the Treble, that feeling successful the Bernabeu was important — the knowing of however bully we request to beryllium to triumph this game.
“You mightiness deliberation the 4-0 was precise easy, but it was a premix of truthful galore things wherever we needed to beryllium afloat connected our game.
“Last twelvemonth was frustrating due to the fact that we dominated but weren’t capable to people the goals that would person made the difference.
“They won’t marque it casual for us. We request to bash what we bash amended than ever and combat much than ever due to the fact that that’s however you win.”
Dias is raring to spell aft a stop-start past fewer months — having rushed backmost from wounded excessively soon.
He admitted: “It’s been frustrating. In a play similar this, successful which you privation to beryllium adjacent to your household connected the pitch.
“You assistance immoderate mode you can. One of the ways is to retrieve arsenic good and arsenic accelerated arsenic you can.
“You request to beryllium omniscient with the comeback, the docket is ruthless.
You’re astatine a constituent erstwhile the bid is going successful the play and you request to drawback that train.”
If Dias helps City triumph tonight, it would beryllium conscionable the ticket.
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