Real Madrid News
Pep Guardiola reacts to Champions League Round of 16 draw against Real Madrid
Another UEFA Champions League knockout round draw came and went by, and once more, Real Madrid were paired up against Manchester City.
The two teams have met each other quite frequently in Europe in recent seasons and will square off again in the Round of 16 next month.
Pep Guardiola reacts
Speaking to the media earlier today, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacted to the draw pairing up his team against Real Madrid one more time.
On whether the experience of facing the Spanish capital giants so frequently in recent times will help the Premier League club, the manager remarked:
“Yes, our club learns and improves by playing against the best teams in the history of this competition.”
Manchester City and Real Madrid most recently faced each other in the league phase of the competition earlier this season, with Guardiola’s side winning 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, when the two teams met last season in the knockout playoff, Real Madrid beat the Cityzens in both legs – winning 3-2 away and 3-1 at home.
Overall, Guardiola boasts an impressive record against Real Madrid. Having managed 28 matches against the Merengues, his record stands at 14 wins, six draws, and eight losses, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.
Guardiola’s teams have scored 59 goals in those 28 games compared to Real Madrid’s 44.
So, it promises to be another tightly-contested encounter between two heavyweights of European football in the Round of 16.
Should Real Madrid prevail, they will face the winners of Atalanta vs Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Source: AS
Real Madrid opted to renew Antonio Rudiger’s contract this past summer to keep him at the club for one more season.
The 33-year-old veteran defender, though, has not been performing at his best, with physical problems taking their toll and age starting to catch up with him.
As such, the expectation is that Los Blancos will not extend his contract again when his current one expires on 30 June 2027.
Tottenham eye Antonio Rudiger
And, according to reports relayed by AS, Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are plotting a free-transfer swoop to sign Rudiger in the summer of next year.
The north London club are understood to be keen on reinforcing their backline next year and see the German defender as an option, given his experience in the Premier League and the fact that he would be available for free in the summer.
So far this season, Rudiger has played only five games for Real Madrid, amounting to a total of 396 minutes.
The 33-year-old has even chipped in with two goals, including the all-important winner in the 4-3 comeback victory over AS Roma on Wednesday night.
Time to move on?
Despite Rudiger being a hugely respected figure in the Real Madrid locker room, he is currently the third-choice centre-back for Jose Mourinho.
After all, summer signing Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen have been preferred by the manager so far in the new season.
Moreover, with Eder Militao set to return imminently after a lengthy injury layoff, Rudiger’s game-time could be impacted further.
Given the situation and factoring in Real Madrid’s plans to sign another centre-back next summer, it is pretty much evident that Rudiger does not feature in the club’s plans for beyond this season.
As such, a separation of ways seems pretty likely when his contract expires, and Tottenham are now positioning themselves as early suitors to sign Rudiger as a free agent in 2027.
