Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti admits Pep Guardiola's Man City are a 'nightmare' to prepare for ahead of Champions League play-off first leg Carlo Ancelotti has revealed Manchester City are still giving Real Madrid nightmares ahead of Tuesday's Champions League play-off first leg at the Etihad.
Ancelotti also believes the winner will be favourites to lift the title at May’s final in Munich, with either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen waiting in the last 16.
City boss Guardiola admitted he did not know what version of his side would turn up on Tuesday — although he was given injury boosts, with his entire defence and new £50million midfielder Nico Gonzalez training ahead of the tie.
Ancelotti — whose superstitious character has the La Liga champions staying in the same Manchester hotel as they did for their penalty shootout win in last season’s quarter-final — suggested the match-up had come too early in UEFA’s revamped format.
City have won just eight of their last 23 games in all competitions but Madrid’s manager insisted form goes out of the window in the pre-eminent European rivalry of this era.
