Former Manchester United player Wayne Rooney says Manchester City 'may never have a better chance to win the Champions League' and said his only concern for the Blues against Real Madrid is over their defence.
Pep Guardiola's men are 2-1 up against Madrid going into the last-16 second leg game at the Etihad on Friday night.
"City may never have a better chance to win the Champions League," Rooney says in his Sunday Times column. “Sergio Ramos is suspended which is a huge loss to the Real defence and I think City will score. Whether they are solid enough at the back themselves is my only question.
“Real will target their centre halves and it’s a worry that this season every other (Premier League) ‘Big Six’ club beat City... this shows Guardiola’s team can struggle to keep the best sides out.”
Despite their defensive struggles, Rooney does believe City will come through the tie with the Spanish champions.
“I saw Zinedine Zidane do it in his first spell as Real coach when he played against Guardiola-style teams in big games, and it brought him successes,” he added.
“Yet my money is still on City. They don’t have to chase the game. They don’t have to score. They can even afford to lose 1-0 and go through, and in the first leg they surprised Madrid by sitting in themselves.
“It was the first time I’ve seen Guardiola play like that and I’ve a feeling he’ll do the same at the Etihad. It could be a game of cat-and-mouse.”
Tags
NEWS
