Manchester City has won almost everything there is to win but the elusive Champions League missing from the club’s palmares. There are two more hurdles to overcome. Real Madrid awaits in the semifinals, with which there is still a bone to pick.
City sharpens knives for clash with Real Madrid: “We are going to take revenge”
Last year, The Citizens seemed to settle with Los Blancos for a long time. After a spectacle, they won at home (4-3), after which the visit to Estadio Bernabéu seemed like a walk in the park until injury time. However, Rodrygo scored two goals, after which extra time followed. Karim Benzema ended City’s dream (3-1) via a penalty kick. A solid downer.
New round, new opportunities. “We want revenge,” said City star Bernardo Silva with conviction. “I feel the team has gained a lot of confidence. We always go for the prizes, but this time it feels different.” After dealing with Bayern Munich, the Portuguese immediately looked ahead.
“This is the time of the season when one wrong performance can cost you a prize,” says Bernardo. Real Madrid, defending champions and 14-time Champions League winners, is now the hurdle to overcome. “I think we’re going to take them out. That will be a tough task, but we finally want to win that title,” he added.
Manager Pep Guardiola was also looking forward to the clash with the Madrilenians. The Catalan knows exactly what is being asked against Real Madrid. He said, “We are extremely solid and we are defending really well now. That’s where we’ve improved the most. Last year Real was no better than us, it was a matter of exchange who continued. If you want to win the Champions League, you have to deal with Madrid.”
Ten Hag names the ‘hard truth’ after United’s European failure
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was particularly disappointed with his team’s performance in the Europa League quarter-final against Sevilla. The Dutchman had a painful evening against the Europa League specialist.
“When you make mistakes like that, it becomes very difficult to win a game,” Ten Hag told BT Sport about how Sevilla’s 1-0 and 3-0 fell. David de Gea and Harry Maguire played a negative role in the opening goal and De Gea blundered just before time with Youssef En Nesyri’s second goal.
“These players have proven many times why they play at United and how good they can be, but it was definitely not good enough tonight. We failed. We made bad choices and lost our personal duels everywhere on the field,” said Ten Hag.
“Seville played with more passion, more fierce and more determined to win. That is unacceptable, but the hard truth. If you want to compete for the prizes, you have to show character,” said the Dutchman, who stood up for De Gea. “It’s not for nothing that he has kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League. He’s just a very good keeper.”
