Manchester City are back in the Champions League and they take on Real Madrid in the Round of 16 on Wednesday.
The first leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu and Man City go into this game at the back of a solid 1-0 win against Leicester City in the Premier League.
But Real Madrid though suffered a shock loss in their previous league encounter losing 1-0 to Levante which also means that they are now two points behind Barcelona who occupy the top spot.
Man City have been handed a Champions League ban and at the same time they are also on the verge of losing their Premier League crown to Liverpool which means being the top in Europe is the only thing left to fight for, for Pep Guardiola.
And according to Charlie Nicholas, Manchester City have what it takes to get back Real Madrid – at least in the first leg on Wednesday.
He told Sky Sports: “Real Madrid are unpredictable. They blew their position at the top of La Liga with defeat at Levante. But they are the masters of this competition.
“They knew how to win it even when they were not playing well. They were not favourites then, and they are not favourites now. I do not even think they are favourites in this tie.
“I see Manchester City scoring here. Aymeric Laporte played another 75 minutes and hopefully, he is fit as he will be a positive for them at the back.
“Where is the big fear factor for City? Sergio Ramos is coming to the end and will be moving on. Eden Hazard is out. I think they’d sell Luka Modric and Gareth Bale if they could.
“The reputation of the club is the answer but Pep Guardiola has won there in domestic competitions before. City will embrace the Bernabeu.
“They have not been playing as well as they should but when they go after a game, they are a different class, especially when they get on the ball. Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will be key.”
Marco Asensio remains a miss for Real Madrid while Eden Hazard is also ruled out after the Belgian international sustained a hairline fracture in his ankle at the weekend.
