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Real Madrid’s stand-in captain Fede Valverde said his side must remain focused on getting the job done, despite holding a one-goal advantage heading into the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout clash with Manchester City.
“It’s a match that will decide the tie. We don’t have to come from behind. I’m very happy with the great game we played in England [first leg] and that allows us to be a bit calmer here. We have improved in many areas. We’ll try to make it a night to remember for all Madrid fans and bring us a little closer to the most beautiful title of all,” said Valverde at the pre-match press conference.
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Fede Valverde
The Uruguayan midfielder was also happy with what he saw on the training pitch ahead of the game at the Bernabeu, where Madrid will play with a 3-2 first-leg lead.
“I see how my teammates are training these days and that gives me great peace of mind. It gives me a lot of confidence that we can qualify,” he said.
Despite their first leg victory against City, Madrid were not able to field their strongest playing XI owing to a list of injuries to their defensive set-up. That has forced Valverde to adopt a new role as a rightback, filling in for Dani Carvajal. To his credit, the Uruguayan has hardly put a foot wrong in the unfamiliar role. Reflecting on his new role, he said, “I’m enjoying it and I’m learning. I have great examples for me, such as Carvajal and Lucas [Vazquez], who are icons of this club, legends of Real Madrid. I admire them and try to learn from them as players and as captains. I try to give the maximum in the position I play in.”
Madrid will no doubt start the game as favourites against an off-colour Manchester City side. Even at their best, Pep Guardiola’s team have only beaten the record champions once despite battling each other in four consecutive seasons.
However, Guardiola will take a lot of positives from his side’s 4-0 dismantling of Newcastle, where their new recruits Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Abdukodir Khusanov caught the eye.
Guardiola will be hoping that the injection of fresh blood into his side can spur a comeback against Madrid.
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