On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, UEFA Champions League defending champions Real Madrid will host English Premier League champions Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This is the fourth meeting in the UEFA Champions League’s history to be played in four consecutive seasons; it’s the second leg of the play-off round.
Real Madrid won the first leg at the Etihad Sports Stadium by 3:2, which has made the Citizens’ match-up at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night an epic challenge.
“The margin for victory at the Bernabéu is very small. I am not sure if we even reach a 1% chance... Maybe it is even less,” Pep Guardiola expressed his lack of confidence in the upcoming match during a press conference, leaving little hope.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stated on Tuesday that his Manchester City counterpart, Pep Guardiola, was intentionally underestimating the English club’s chances of advancing to the Champions League last 16.
As the only manager to have reached six Champions League finals, Ancelotti is preparing to pose a crucial question to Guardiola before the match at Santiago Bernabeu.
“He does not truly think that, tomorrow I’ll ask him before the game, do you really think you’ve got a one per cent chance?”
Ancelotti emphasized the path his team must take to reach the next stage, noting that there are advantages for his side rather than just opportunities.
“He believes they have a better chance than that, we don’t think we have a 99% chance. We think we have a small advantage that we have to take advantage of, and try to play the same game we set up in the first leg, which went well,” Carlo Ancelotti claimed.
The two clubs are also set to rival one another in the pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz.
Wirtz is viewed as a successor to Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City and in the same vein, he is expected to join his current coach since he is the frame to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid.
