Pep Guardiola has challenged his reshaped Manchester City team to prove they can thrive against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. The City manager returns to one of Europe's grandest venues for the Champions League game on Wednesday night without many of the stalwarts who have been at the heart of recent battles between the clubs.
Guardiola reported that John Stones was out because of injury – along with Rodri – while players such as Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündoğan and Kyle Walker have departed. 'We have lost important players … De Bruyne, Gundo, Walker; Stones and Rodri are not here,' Guardiola said. 'Many players are new and they have to experience it on these stages – and know that for the next time, I have done it and can do it again. It's always a good place to come to prove yourself.'
The City captain, Bernardo Silva, said the game could serve as a barometer of the team's progress. 'Maybe, yes,' he replied. 'It is just one more game but it's definitely a very good test in this environment. It's a very different [City] team because the club made the decision to change a lot of players and give a new dynamic. It's a team full of potential and energy.'
This will be the 11th Champions League meeting of these teams in seven seasons. The previous 10 encounters were all two-legged ties in the knockout rounds, Madrid progressing three times; City two. Guardiola expressed sympathy for Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who has presided over a disastrous run of two wins in seven matches, resulting in a 12-point swing with Barcelona in La Liga. 'Barcelona and Madrid are the toughest clubs to be a manager … the pressure and environment. If I'd done last season [with City] here, I would've been sacked. Of course, Xabi is capable of doing what is required,' Guardiola said.
Despite the overall situation, Alonso's team have four wins out of five in the Champions League. City are keen to bounce back from the 2-0 home defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in their previous game in the competition when Guardiola made 10 changes to his lineup and felt that many of the replacements lacked the confidence to express themselves.
