Manchester City have a huge week ahead of them as the first leg of their play-off tie against Real Madrid arrives in the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City were busy with FA Cup duties over the weekend, meeting Leyton Orient in a rather intense match which saw the Cityzens having to come back after going a goal down in the first half. New signing Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne scored to secure City a 2-1 win and place in the fifth round.
Now, Manchester City turn attention to Europe's elite competition as they prepare for a crucial encounter with defending champions Real Madrid.
It's safe to say that nobody would have expected either Man City or Real Madrid having to require a play-off to qualify for the round of 16, let alone the fact that one of these favourites would be knocked out so early on.
In the last three seasons, we've seen this exact matchup: in 2022, it was the semi-final that ended with a 6-5 aggregate for Real Madrid, 2023 again was a semi-final but this time it was City who claimed a 5-1 aggregate, and 2024, it was a quarter-final, with the aggregate being 4-4 and a penalty shootout sending Madrid through to the semis.
An interesting fact that we have seen is that in the last three seasons, whoever out of the two clubs has won this fixture has gone on to win the whole competition (Real 2022, City 2023, Real 2024).
While Real Madrid have been far from perfect this season, they will still be a significantly difficult opponent for Man City, who have struggled badly against top teams this season. The most recent example coming as their 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.
But, on a big European night with the steaks so high, you cannot rule Manchester City out.
Savinho shares excitement but states negative for both clubs
"I'll be fulfilling a dream. I always watched Manchester City vs Real Madrid on the TV, now I get to be here living this moment."
"There was nowhere to run, it was either Bayern or Real Madrid, two great teams, and we got Real Madrid."
"I spoke to Bernardo (Silva) and even to Real Madrid players while on international duty with them, and they said sometimes because of the strength of their badge, let's say they're trailing 2-0 or 3-0 and the game is not over, they know they can do what they did in the last Champions League campaign at any time - pull off a comeback in the final five minutes."
"So, we must remain focused and score goals when we get the opportunities, as that will be quite important too."
"I think we, as Manchester City, can't be in the play-offs. We should be getting into the next round more convincingly and not find ourselves in a play-off against Real Madrid - and it's worth mentioning that Real Madrid, with all the weight their shirt carries, shouldn't be in the playoffs either, with all due respect to the other teams."