Man City star admits 'I don't know what's going on in their head' as huge clash looms

After booking their spot successful the Champions League play-off round, Manchester City volition travel a immense Premier League clash against Arsenal with a Real Madrid double-header

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji has stopped himself from trying to second-guess the Premier League champions' opponents aft being fixed a do-or-die Euro showdown with Real Madrid.

City kept their Champions League imagination live successful nervy fashion, coming from down to bushed Club Brugge successful their must-win last league signifier game. Their lowly wide presumption means they'll person to bash things the hard mode if they're to scope the circular of 16, with reigning champions Madrid lying successful wait.

Pep Guardiola's broadside person been welcoming players backmost from injury, and are successful amended signifier arsenic they hole to instrumentality connected Arsenal connected Sunday. The reverse fixture ended 2-2, but much tellingly saw City midfielder Rodri endure an ACL tear which has kept him retired of enactment since.

Akanji has been disposable much often than most, featuring successful 19 of City's 23 league games and 7 retired of 8 successful Europe. Speaking up of Sunday's match, helium maintained helium and his team-mates volition beryllium focusing afloat connected Arsenal earlier attempting to woody with the Madrid task.

"We person to spell lucifer by match, crippled by game, we've got Arsenal adjacent and we've got to retrieve truly good now," Akanji told Flashscore. "It's an important crippled for us. It won't beryllium casual for america away, truthful we've got to retrieve good aft (the Club Brugge win) and we've got to beryllium acceptable for the challenge."

City ended arsenic 1 of 4 teams connected 11 points aft the Champions League league phase, with lone 3 making it into the playoffs, but the erstwhile Borussia Dortmund defender is looking guardant alternatively than back.

"That wasn't the mode we wanted it to be, but present we are close now, and I'm inactive assured we tin bushed whoever comes next," helium added. "I don't cognize what's going connected successful their head. I deliberation we tin bushed each squad successful Europe, truthful whoever comes, we're acceptable for the challenge."

Will Manchester City triumph their play-off against Real Madrid? Have your accidental successful the comments section

Madrid brag Carlo Ancelotti insisted his team's mentation won't alteration pursuing the draw. "It doesn't alteration anything. We each privation the cleanable world but determination isn't one," helium said.

"We mislaid 1 crippled and we weren't capable to get into the apical eight. It's OK, play 2 games much oregon less. They volition beryllium 2 hard and entertaining games, but we person the resources to triumph them."

Both legs of the play-off volition beryllium held during February, with City - the lower-ranked squad - playing astatine location first. The victor of the two-legged brushwood volition instrumentality connected either Bayer Leverkusen oregon Atletico Madrid successful the circular of 16.

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