Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Mountains are there to be climbed aren’t they!

Now that the Premier League and La Liga along with the other top European leagues have concluded, it is the Champions League time now in Europe.

The Round of 16 is all set to kick-off when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City take on Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid. Both sides are looking to leave their mark on this year’s tournament but it would be a testing time for the French manager when he faces Pep Guardiola.

Manchester City have the two-away goal advantage going into the game despite the score being 2-1 when the two sides last met at Santiago Bernabeu.

Jesus and Kevin de Buryne’s strikes after Isco obtaining the lead for Real Madrid have put Manchester City ahead in the tie. It is now or never for Zinedine Zidane when he faces the English outfit.

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Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid have a tough task on their hands when they face Manchester City at the Etihad. Los Blancos don’t have their captain, Sergio Ramos, who has led the side tremendously in their La Liga title win. When the Spanish domestic title hung in the balance, it was Ramos’ performance which was instrumental in their title glory.

Apart from his defensive accomplishments, it was his goalscoring ability that caught the eye of fans. Leaving the top-scorer Karim Benzema aside, Sergio Ramos has 11 goals in 35 La-Liga appearances. The 34-year-old has also broken the record of the highest-scoring defender in La Liga history.

On the other hand, Sergio Ramos’ absence at the heart of the defense can hurt Raphael Varane’s performance. The French defender has been the passive defender whenever Ramos has started alongside him.

The Spanish central defender’s presence has allowed Varane to go forward and provide incisive passes. With Ramos serving the suspension, Varane has to adjust and handle both his defense and passing capabilities.

The problems for Real Madrid also lie in their attacking department too. Karim Benzema has scored close to 33% of Real Madrid’s 2019/20 La Liga goals in 37 games. Apart from him, none of his attacking partners have scored more than three goals. Luka Jovic, Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio, and Isco have largely disappointed their manager this campaign.

Also, Zinedine Zidane’s issues with Gareth Bale still persist. Despite five substitutions being allowed in the post-pandemic games, Gareth Bale hasn’t featured for Real Madrid.

To make things worse, Real Madrid have left Gareth Bale out of 24-men traveling squad. It is the same Gareth Bale who sent Liverpool packing in the 2018 UEFA Champions League with his twin strike after Mane had equalized for Liverpool.

Zinedine Zidane has been never been knocked out of the Champions League knockout stages whenever he has managed Real Madrid. On the other hand, Manchester City have missed out on the Premier League title and FA Cup and just have EFL Cup in their cabinet in 2019/20 season.

Pep Guardiola will be determined to win this and lead the Etihad based outfit to the Champions League title. Though it’s a long way to go, Manchester City have all the resources on their side.

Moreover, Manchester City have never lost a game after they had the first-leg advantage in the knockouts. With multiple players absent and responsibility on the shoulders of Karim Benzema, it is a huge mountain for Zinedine Zidane to climb. But Zinedine Zidane’s response would be:

"Mountains are made to be climbed aren’t they!"