Guti also acknowledged that Real Madrid’s caretaker manager, Álvaro Arbeloa, stepped into an extremely challenging situation.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Spanish pundit and former Real Madrid midfielder José María Gutiérrez Hernández, better known as Guti, has said his former side will be depending on their fans at the Bernabéu to push them through when they face Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 on Wednesday night.
The two football heavyweights have played each other six times in the UCL knockout stages since the 2015–16 season.
While Madrid have a 4-2 edge over City, they lost their last meeting in the competition’s group stage 2-1 at home to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Speaking ahead of the last-16 encounter in a chat with Efe, Guti admitted that the match will be difficult for the La Liga side.
He, however, believes the Spanish giants will exploit their home advantage against the visiting Man City.
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He said: “That’s what we Madrid fans cling to—the fact that the tie is difficult, but that Madrid pride and those magical nights at the Bernabéu can return.
“Let’s see if all of that helps Madrid grow and reach a good level so that, above all, we can go into the second leg with hopes of advancing.”
Guti also noted that Madrid’s caretaker manager, Álvaro Arbeloa, stepped into an extremely challenging situation, particularly given the number of injuries currently affecting the squad.
He said: “It’s a poisoned chalice they’ve given Álvaro Arbeloa, not only because he has to start mid-season, but also because there were already a lot of injuries when he arrived. He’s been here a few months and it’s not that there are fewer injuries; there are more. You can’t see everything a manager can offer when there are so many injuries. We all have high hopes for Álvaro; he knows the club very well, but he doesn’t have all the tools to do his best to make things work.”
He went on to stress the importance of French striker Kylian Mbappé and other key players, noting that Real Madrid are not currently operating at full strength.
“Mbappé is extremely important because of the goals he scores and because he makes the opposing defence a little more afraid, but I think Militão, Bellingham, and other players are vital for this Real Madrid. The team isn’t at 100% to handle a tie like this,” the club legend added.
