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CL: Manchester City reputation on line ahead of Real Madrid battle

Pep's team take on European powerhouse in Last-16 first leg tie; wants to emulate elite club

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Manchester City players train on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Last-16 first leg encounter against Real Madrid today. Pic/AFP

Manchester City players train on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Last-16 first leg encounter against Real Madrid today. Pic/AFP

Manchester City will be up against both Real Madrid and their reputation tonight as the Champions League's biggest winners play one of its biggest underachievers at the Santiago Bernabeu.  After City's win over Leicester on Saturday, Pep Guardiola said: "We will try to be ourselves. We can win and we can lose but we must try to be ourselves." Yet in some ways, City will seek a role reversal too.

Madrid's record is the envy of Europe but in particular by teams like City, whose financial might and technical talent has translated only into disappointment outside domestic competition. In the time City have won three Premier League titles and five domestic cups, they have gone past the Champions League's quarter-finals only once, reaching the Last 4 in 2016, only to be beaten by Madrid. Zinedine Zidane's side, meanwhile, have surrendered dominance in La Liga to Barcelona but made amends for one Spanish league title in seven years by winning four Champions Leagues out of the last six.

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