In the Champions League, along with the spring weather, great intrigue has returned. In the round of 16, Manchester City will face its next challenge at the Santiago Bernabeu, one of the "heaviest scenes" in football history. The opponent, as usual, is Real Madrid. The pair has already become a Champions League classic in recent years.
The path began with faith in "Etihad"
The Citizens began their season in the continent's most prestigious competition with a 2-0 victory against Italian champions Napoli. The confident performance in this match gave the team the necessary psychological advantage. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland also became the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the competition, setting another big record.
But in the middle of the season, there were also difficult times for City: a 0-2 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen, the league sensation in Norway - a 1-3 loss to Budø-Glimt - these remained as painful lessons for the team.
Stable steps in group stage
Nevertheless, in the overall group stage, Guardiola's team outperformed several opponents: they recorded victories over Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, and Galatasaray, and drew 2-2 with Monaco.
Many believe the decisive moment was the December match against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Despite Rodrigo's early goal, City showed experience and composure in that match: Nico O'Reilly brought the team back into play, while Haaland made a turning point with a precise penalty. This result reportedly secured City's place in the top eight and saves them from the 1/16 finals playoffs.
Real Madrid and another historical series
Now, in the round of 16, City faced Real Madrid again. This is the 12th meeting between the two teams in the last seven years. That is, nothing in this competition is "accidental": every detail, every episode changes the fate of the debate.
List of 23 people approved by Guardiola
Josep Guardiola confirmed the following lineup for his trip to Spain:
- Goalkeepers: Donnarumma, Trafford, Bettinelli.
- Defenders: Nunesh, Allein, Khusanov, Guehi, Stones, Diaz, Ake, Ait-Nuri.
- Midfielders: Rodri, Nico, O'Reilly, Reynders, Bernardo, Sherkey, Foden.
- Forwards: Semeno, Savio, Marmusch, Haaland, Doku.
The most important news for the team is that Haaland has returned to the squad. Yoshko Guardiol is still recovering from his injury. It's worth noting that injuries at City have softened considerably in recent weeks.
In Saturday's match against Newcastle, Haaland, who had rested, became one of the key figures in the squad heading to Madrid. At the same time, Mateo Kovacic returned to general training, but was not included in the squad as he had not yet fully recovered from playing practice. Rico Lewis is in a similar situation after an ankle injury.
Yellow card "mine": one mistake - missing the return match
Discipline is also crucial for the players of both teams in their first match in Madrid. According to UEFA rules, a player who receives three yellow cards starting from the group stage or receives any subsequent odd number of yellow cards will miss the next match. The cards will be "cleaned" only after the quarterfinals.
Players close to disqualification for Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodrigo, Din Heisen, and Orelen Tchouameni. Alvaro Carreras already has four warnings - one more automatically disqualifies him.
At Manchester City, only one yellow card separates Niko O'Reilly and Savio from their suspension. Therefore, every minute and every action counts for the return debate in "Etihad."
Khusanov's problem: fans are waiting for the starting lineup
Abdukodir Khusanov participated in four matches of the Champions League this season. The 22-year-old defender played the full match against Napoli, Budø-Glimt, and Galatasaray, and was substituted in the 65th minute against Bayer Leverkusen. He remained on the bench for matches against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, and was not included in the squad for clashes with Monaco and Villarreal due to injury.
After an extremely high-level match against Newcastle in the FA Cup, both fans and experts want to see Khusanov in the starting lineup for the match against Real Madrid. These expectations are not unfounded: last season at the Bernabéu, he also played confidently, reducing the chances of creating a dangerous situation for Vinicius Junior.
Now the main question: Will City be able to demonstrate their calmness and stability once again in this new night at the Bernabéu? The field gives the answer. But one thing is clear - even a small mistake in this argument can turn into a big score.
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