Manchester City is preparing for a match that could determine the course of its season at one of the worst moments in its recent history. The poor performance of the sky blue team has left it out of the top eight in the Champions League. This has had an immediate consequence: it will face a very strong Real Madrid right from the start.
A Real Madrid that, nevertheless, is not going through its best moment either. However, the situation facing Pep Guardiola‘s team, outside the Champions League places in the Premier League table, is even more dramatic, with the tie against Real Madrid being the most decisive moment of the season.
The worst Manchester City of the decade host an inconsistent Real Madrid
The English team’s campaign has been marked by a few months with many more shadows than lights. A Manchester City that is in the doldrums in the midst of a run of bad results from which it cannot recover. However, the problem is not only about the results, but also about the collective game, which was always one of the hallmarks of the Citizens.
This is demonstrated by their most recent matches. This weekend, City almost went out of the FA Cup to an English third division team, Leyton Orient, who made things difficult for the English team, who were able to turn the situation around with goals from De Bruyne and Khusanov.
The situation is not very different in the Premier League, whose last matchday saw City receive a scandalous thrashing by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium by five goals to one. A sporting situation that Pep Guardiola’s team has tried to resolve with a checkbook, spending 218 million euros this winter market on Khusanov, Victor Ries, Marmoush, and Nico González.
Precisely, the role of Nico González himself, recently arrived from FC Porto and leaving La Masía, was one of City’s main assets to be able to compete in the Champions League. However, an injury in the FA Cup match makes his presence in the Etihad match against Real Madrid impossible, posing a new problem for Guardiola.
City’s most likely line-up against Real Madrid
Guardiola has all his players available to face Real Madrid in the first leg of the tie, except for Nico and Rodri, in one of the worst sporting moments of the last decade for the Citizens. And of all the options available to the Catalan coach to put together a gala eleven, this is the most likely.
Probable lineup Manchester City: Ederson; Luiz, Khusanov, Akanji, Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Kovacic, Gundogan; Foden, Haaland, Marmoush.