Champions League knockout: Manchester City to take inspiration from Real Madrid amid dismal season

Manchester City need look no further than their perennial Champions League opponents, Real Madrid, for hope that Europe can still be conquered despite a dire domestic season. The sides meet in the Champions League for the fourth consecutive season, but this time much earlier in the competition, largely due to City's struggles.

Pep Guardiola’s men narrowly avoided an early exit, securing qualification in the final 45 minutes of the extended eight-game group phase, finishing 22nd in the 36-team table. City's only victories in the competition this season have come against Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague, and Club Brugge. In contrast, they suffered defeats to Sporting Lisbon and Juventus squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at home against Feyenoord, and conceded four times in the final 35 minutes at Paris Saint-Germain.

An unprecedented four-year reign as English champions is also on the verge of ending. A 5-1 humiliation against Arsenal in their last Premier League game left City 15 points behind league leaders Liverpool, placing them in a battle just to secure Champions League qualification for next season.

Accustomed to relentless success in his managerial career, Guardiola has appeared powerless to halt City’s drastic decline. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach has repeatedly described his side as "fragile" and "old." Following the signing of Nico Gonzalez on the final day of the transfer window, he admitted that City have been "weak" in midfield, particularly in the absence of Rodri, who has been sidelined for most of the season with an ACL tear.

Guardiola also expressed concern about his team's lack of physicality, stating last month that he was "a little bit scared to play these transitional games." This fear is compounded by the prospect of facing Real Madrid’s formidable front four, featuring an in-form Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham.

Rodri will miss the tie despite being retained in City's Champions League squad in the hope of a return before the end of the season. However, City have been bolstered by the inclusion of new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Gonzalez, as well as the return of Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Jeremy Doku from injury.

Madrid are not without their own injury troubles, missing key defenders Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Antonio Rudiger. The Spanish giants also endured a challenging group stage, suffering three defeats against Lille, AC Milan, and Liverpool, which prevented them from securing a top-eight finish and direct entry into the last 16.

Despite their struggles, Madrid remain masters at peaking in the Champions League when it matters most. In two of the three knockout encounters between these sides in the past three years, Madrid started as underdogs, were largely outplayed, yet still progressed at City’s expense.

"It has become a game that you see every year, whether that is in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and this year so early. So, it is a big game and a fresh start for us," said City defender Rico Lewis.

Between 1966 and 2018, Madrid lifted the European Cup or Champions League eight times despite only winning La Liga once in those seasons. That historical precedent offers City a blueprint to salvage their campaign and transform a miserable season into a memorable one.