Manchester City Faces Uphill Battle Against Real Madrid: Can They Defy the Odds?

Erling Haaland, after experiencing pain on Wednesday morning, will not be starting for Manchester City but will instead begin the game on the bench. For Real Madrid, starting strong is a familiar scenario; they’ve secured victory in the first leg of a European tie on 40 occasions. This presents a daunting challenge for Pep Guardiola’s squad, as history is not in their favor — Real Madrid has only been knocked out twice in the following round of these encounters. Manchester City hopes to emulate the rare achievements of Odense Boldklub in the 1994-95 UEFA Cup and Ajax in the 2018-19 Champions League at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Even Guardiola himself has acknowledged the daunting task ahead, estimating City’s chances of progressing past the playoff round to the Champions League’s last 16 at merely “one percent.” While Carlo Ancelotti might challenge this statistic, he certainly agrees that Real Madrid remains the frontrunner post their recent 3-2 triumph. With Madrid having eliminated City twice in the past three seasons they’ve faced off in this competition, they undoubtedly feel equipped to repeat those past successes.