Pep Guardiola drops hint over Manchester City’s tactical plans for Real Madrid Champions League clash

Pep Guardiola has provided some insight into how Manchester City could play tactically against Real Madrid Tuesday evening.

The two European giants will meet once again in the latter stages of the Champions League, having crossed paths in two previous seasons. Each side has experienced crushing defeats and famous victories in what is becoming a nearly annual event in Europe’s premier tournament.

In the 2021/22 campaign, a high-scoring two-legged affair saw Manchester City sucker-punched in the second leg of the tie, conceding two late goals before being sent packing in extra time at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Meanwhile, the Blues got their revenge in the 2022/23 campaign, lulling Los Blancos into a false sense of security after a 1-1 first-leg draw in Madrid, and subsequently thrashing the LaLiga giants at the Etihad Stadium in the second-leg the following week.

Those tactics produced a famous result in the tie, but City boss Pep Guardiola says his team will need to be more aggressive in Madrid this time around.

“We cannot come here just to control the game,” Guardiola said ahead of the trip to Spain. “We have to hurt Real Madrid, to punish them, to try to score goals.

“We focus on what we have to do, discover the strength points of our rival and go for it. Focus on the football game.”

Manchester City have had no trouble scoring goals this season, scoring 71 in the Premier League so far, the third most in the division after 31 games, but clean sheets haven’t come as easy to the Blues.

With a plethora of defensive injuries, Guardiola will have only Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Sergio Gomez to choose from, while Josko Govardiola remains doubtful.

Real Madrid on the other hand, come into the affair with fitness issues of their own and are reportedly set to start midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni at centre-back.