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Real Madrid are far from where they were expected to be this season, but at least they are first in La Liga and have had a more consistent season. It is City who should be wary of the upcoming game as if they do not get a good result at home then the trip to Spain could be hopeless before the game. It will be interesting to see how Pep gets out of this situation.
Real Madrid performance this season has not been as consistent as expected, failing to automatically qualify for the last 16 indicates that there are shortcomings in their performance compared to last season. On the other hand, Guardiola has prepared his squad to face Real Madrid, in his last game against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup he made a big rotation to maintain the fitness of the main players.
In my opinion, Real Madrid will have a hard time in the first leg because Man City will try to take advantage of the Home game to put pressure on Real Madrid, especially since their defense is not completely solid.
It is true that Madrid did not perform well at the beginning but as time has gone by they have been drawing more attention to their good play. The draw with Atletico in La Liga has mainly benefited them as many of their players are injured and some are out of form but overall Ancelotti is trying to get his team in a much stronger position. Fans are expecting another exciting match with Real's opponents Man City in the next match of the Champions League. It is true that Guardiola will have his team strong in every way and the match may not be easy for Real. Similarly, Real Madrid have a very low record of losing in the knockout stages in the past analysis. The main fault for Real is the lack of coordination between the players which they have largely overcome and the Real coach is trying to send a very clear message about their mutual strategies. Yes, there has been a lot of criticism about Real's defense and some of their best players are out with injuries, but they did a great job in the draw with Atletico.