Ilkay Gundogan has sent a message to his Manchester City teammates ahead of their trip to Real Madrid next week.
Man City’s last outing would see them face off with Leeds United in a Premier League clash.
After Liverpool had seen off Newcastle United earlier in the day, City were aware they needed a win to ensure they returned to the Premier League summit.
And, when all was said and done, Pep Guardiola’s side strolled out 4-0 winners at Elland Road thanks to goals from Rodri, Nathan Ake, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho.
The tie did not start off as easy as the scoreline suggested though, with Joao Cancelo the victim of a Steven Gerrard-type slip that sent Leeds through on goal with the score still at 0-0.
Luckily for City, Cancelo’s slip did not lead to a goal. Now though, when discussing the slip, Ilkay Gundogan stated that Man City must defend well and not concede a goal vs Real Madrid next week:
“It’s normal,” Gundogan said speaking about Joao Cancelo’s slip in the early stages. “That’s what we train for, I think the key is not to panic. Of course come back as quick as possible, I’m not the quickest obviously but I was able to get back and get the block. Defensively we were able to block, we defended very well, Edi did very well and not conceding a goal was very important for the next games more so maybe Madrid, it’s going to be crucial.”
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Manchester City take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this coming Wednesday.
As away goals no longer count, Manchester City hold the advantage heading into the second leg after picking up a 4-3 win in the first tie at the Etihad.
And whilst question marks remain over the fitness of Kyle Walker and John Stones ahead of the game, City will once again be able to call upon Joao Cancelo after the Portuguese missed the previous meeting between the two European giants due to suspension.
