Three men in a soccer stadium, one of them in a light blue uniform and the other two in formal attire, with a prohibition symbol in the upper right corner.
Guardiola, Rodri and Ancelotti | Camara Real Madrid Confidencial
FIRST TEAM

City Counts on Rodri for Real Madrid and Excludes New Signings from the List

Pep Guardiola's team includes the Spanish international among those registered for the remainder of the Champions League.

by

Alexis Rodríguez

Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. The knockout stage, which promises to be thrilling, is dramatic. Nobody thought these two teams would meet so early this season.

It's the fourth season they face each other. Amazing, and as Valdano said after last season's quarterfinal draw, this matchup is becoming a kind of modern classic.

Pep Guardiola's team has significantly strengthened during the winter transfer window. They have made several moves because they need new faces if they want to do something interesting in the remainder of the season.

Just a few hours ago, they officially announced the list of registered players for this knockout stage. It is striking that Rodri, an injured player, is among those players. Vitor Reis, meanwhile, a center-back from Palmeiras, has been left out because UEFA only allows three winter signings.

A player signing a contract next to a man at a table with the Manchester City logo and several sponsors in the background.
Vitor Reis signing his contract as a City player | Real Madrid Confidencial

Thus, the Brazilian, who was also liked by the Whites, won't be able to play European competition until next season. All this despite the fact that the citizens paid about 34 million euros for him. As they say, it seems they have money to burn.

Maximum Respect

This team is much worse than in previous years. An example of this is that Arsenal handed them a 5-1 defeat less than a week ago. So far, their league and Champions League journey leaves much to be desired.

Soccer players in red and white jerseys celebrate on the field while a large red flag with a cannon waves in the background, surrounded by a crowd of fans.
Arsenal players celebrating one of their goals against City | Real Madrid Confidencial

Despite everything, Ancelotti was the opponent they wanted to avoid. The Italian preferred to face Celtic of Glasgow, which was the other club that could have crossed paths with the reigning European champion. Therefore, his squad is already mentally prepared for the two tough matches ahead.

Home Advantage

The only positive thing about all this is that Real Madrid has the home advantage, meaning they will play the second leg at home.

Bernabéu has already shown that on big days it can make a difference. On February 19th, hopefully, another magical night will be experienced so that the team remains alive in their favorite competition.

➡️ First Team

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