Manchester City face a huge assignment in the Champions League playoff round. Their place in the round of 16 relies on them beating Real Madrid over two legs, with the first game taking place on Tuesday evening at the Etihad Stadium.
This season has been below par from City, and they will have a huge task on their hands if they want to beat Los Blancos.
Pep Guardiola’s men will have the small matter of keeping the front three of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior quiet, which is far easier said than done. Mbappe is especially in great form, having just won the La Liga Player of the Month for January.
However, perhaps the player City will have to be most wary of is someone they once tried to sign, Jude Bellingham.
Why Bellingham could be a danger to Man City
In many ways, it seems fairly obvious to say that keeping Bellingham quiet is going to be key for City if they want to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side. However, we are talking about the player who finished third in the 2024 Ballon d’Or, bettered only by City midfielder Rodri, and Vinicius, with Mbappe coming sixth.
It took some time for things to gel between the Galactico quartet of Bellingham, Mbappe, Vinicus and Rodrygo. However, things have begun to click, and the Birmingham City academy graduate has started firing in recent weeks. He has played 31 times this season, scoring ten goals and grabbing ten assists in that time, a remarkable record already.
It is hard to pinpoint the England international’s best contribution in that famous White shirt this season. However, his goal and assist in a 2-1 win over Valencia were important. Bellingham missed a penalty and Vinicius was sent off, but the Madrid number five won it in stoppage time.
Interestingly, the Citizens tried to sign Bellingham before his £115m move, including add-ons, to the Santiago Bernabeu went through.
Indeed, according to reports, City are thought to have made ‘a succulent economic offer’ to Bellingham and former club Borussia Dortmund, but he rejected the approach, with Madrid his desired destination.
So, the Stourbridge-born sensation will be pulling on the White shirt of Madrid rather than the Sky Blue shirt of City on Tuesday night. However, perhaps Guardiola will decide to unleash City’s answer to Bellingham.
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Man City’s very own Jude Bellingham
When you think of the superstars in the Citizens squad, Kevin De Bruyne instantly springs to mind. He is a phenomenal player, once described as “the greatest” Premier League midfielder ever by Jamie Redknapp.
The Belgian’s injuries have been a real issue over the past two seasons. He missed 36 games with four injuries last term, and ten games with a hamstring issue this season. However, his quality is still unquestionable.
He has three goals and six assists in all competitions this season but has played just 1344 minutes in total. That is the equivalent of just 15 full 90-minute games, a strong return for the City legend.
The quality the Citizens number 17 possesses has shone through this season. De Bruyne has scored and assisted in the same game twice this term, including a goal and assist in a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest, who have been excellent.
One of the words you might associate with the great playmaker, and indeed with Bellingham, is impact. They are players who can massively affect a game for the better for their respective sides, and that is something the City star has done against Real Madrid in the past.
He has played nine games against Los Blancos across his career, all of which came in a City shirt. In that time, he has four goals and four assists, of which only one has come in a losing cause. That is impact.
Games
9
Goals
4
Assists
4
G/A per game
0.88
G/A in wins
6
G/A in draws
1
G/A in losses
1
Described as a “genius” by football statistician Statman Dave, De Bruyne could be the difference maker for City this week. They missed out on Bellingham in the summer of 2023, who could have been a huge component of their side as a number 10, but the Belgian is not exactly a bad alternative.
If Guardiola chooses to unleash the 33-year-old this week, potentially at the expense of someone like Jack Grealish or James McAtee, he might be able to give City that extra little edge and help get them over the line in one of the biggest games yet this season.
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