Manchester City are set for a huge next couple of months, with the club still in three competitions – and Rodri is looking forward to doing battle with Real Madrid and Jude Bellingham in the Champions League quarter-final.
City sealed their progression to the last eight recently by beating FC Copenhagen in the last 16 over two legs.
It was an easy affair in the end with City winning 6-2 on aggregate, but there will be a much sterner test next month for the holders.
Txiki Begiristain’s concerned face when the draw was made was probably the same one a lot of City fans made, but the sporting director did say afterwards that he was confident.
Rodri has given his thoughts, and the Spaniard mentioned Jude Bellingham – a player Pep Guardiola reportedly attempted to convince to join City…
Rodri talks up Jude Bellingham ahead of Manchester City’s UCL clash with Real Madrid
City face Real on April 9, with the first leg taking place at the Bernabeu.
Of course last season, City defeated Real Madrid over two legs, winning the second 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. That performance is widely regarded as the best ever from City under Pep.
Fans will be hoping for two more brilliant performances against the Spanish giants, but they will not make it easy.
Certainly, City have to be wary of Jude Bellingham, who has been a revelation since joining last summer from Borussia Dortmund.
It is likely Rodri will be tasked with keeping him quiet, and the City number 16 is well aware of how good the England international is. He said (via Independent): “We know how he is as a player, tactically and with the quality. We know that Real Madrid is not just one player, we always said this.
“We have to focus on ourselves more than the opponent. We’ve seen in the past year that with the best performance, City can beat anyone. And this is my only target until the end of the season.”
Bellingham will be a huge threat
City have beaten Real before and will be out to do the same again in a few weeks’ time.
But Real are better than they were last term and Bellingham is undoubtedly a real threat for them. This season, the 20-year-old has scored 20 goals and made nine assists in just 31 appearances.
He’s already a world-class player. But he’ll be going up against the best defensive midfielder in the world in Rodri.
Bellingham – whom Pep reportedly held a three-hour conversation with to convince him to join City last year (via Cadena Ser) – will be out for personal revenge next month, after City knocked his Dortmund side out in 2021. In the 2-1 home win for City, he saw a goal harshly disallowed for a foul on goalkeeper Ederson.