Alvaro Arebola has made a prediction about what Manchester City will do against his team, but Pep Guardiola has claimed otherwise.
The day has arrived for Manchester City to get their Champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid underway.
There have been some changes since the teams last met in December, with the hosts swapping Marcos Alonso with Albaro Arebola.
As a result, Real Madrid may have a surprise or two up their sleeve, but their new manager is expecting the same from Man City.
Pep Guardiola insists Man City are not planning any surprises
Speaking ahead of the game, Arebola has revealed that he is expecting Guardiola to attempt something out of the ordinary when Man City play Real Madrid.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “[Pep Guardiola] always has a surprise prepared. As much as you watch his teams, he will have something different prepared, the variations he’s capable of using.
“I’d be surprised if there weren’t some change in structure, how they want to attack, or a player who hasn’t played recently.”
However, Guardiola has made it clear that the two teams know each other well and he is not planning anything which will shock his team’s opponents.
“A lot of surprises,” Guardiola joked, before adding “It’s the first time we play against Alvaro so I don’t know. Honestly, no surprises.”
“I think we know each other, he knows us. Of course there are some adjustments we have to do for the quality they have, but, no surprises.”
Man City just need to focus on delivering a strong performance
Real Madrid are a good team with a rich history in the Champions League, but Man City do not need to come up with something unexpected to defeat them.
Ultimately, the important thing for the visitors to do is defend well, create chances and be clinical in front of goal.
The Spanish side are likely to remain compact at the back, so breaking down their defensive structure will be key to Man City taking a lead back to the Etihad Stadium.
