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Several Liverpool Moons in the Premier League and a possible exile from the Champions League in the next two courses, Manchester City is pressing this. A present that goes through a major challenge with the great Patriarch of the European Cup: 50 editions exclusively adds Real Madrid, more than any other club. The lifelong Madrid against a City that asks for a step between the nomenclature of European football since the day before yesterday , when in 2008 it was supervised by a multi-million dollar consortium of the Arab Emirates. Madrid was already winning European Cups when only a few thousand fans went to the City matches in Second there in 1965. Before and after, the other Manchester team only has a Cup Win (1970). A small game title won in Vienna against the Polish Górnik Zabrze before only 7,968 spectators.
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This Wednesday (21.00, Movistar LC), the City presents its European candidacy, even though it has never passed semifinals, a season it reached in the 2015-2016 season, when Real Madrid left him in the ditch before imposing himself on Atlético by penalties in San Siro. Braked at home by the rocker Liverpool from Jürgen Klopp, the team that protects Pep Guardiola has been a bumpy season, with less rennet than in previous campaigns. However, Zinedine Zidane did not repair by proclaiming with emphasis who in his opinion is the best coach of the moment: "Pep Guardiola". "I would not like to take the opposite of Zidane, but I am not the best coach, I have never intended it, because the artists are the players."
Whether or not the best, the history of the Catalan coach labels him as the great contemporary scourge of Real Madrid. As a coach he has only fallen on one of his eight visits to Chamartín (1-0, leading Bayern in the first leg of the 2014-2015 Champions League semifinals). At the helm of Barça, on any stage, he only lost two games of 15, with nine wins. However, those stormy classics have nothing to do with what happened on Tuesday between Zidane and Guardiola and the abundant mutual compliments. Del Mou is "the fucking master" to "it was an honor that Zidane visited me when I trained at Bayern." The Frenchman said before: "In Munich he was very sincere with me and I was inspired by what he did." Guardiola: “It is very good for this profession that someone like Zidane triumphs (...) It is a pleasure to return to a stadium like the Bernabéu (...) Hazard has been a stratospheric signing, I wish I could play this tie (... ) The generations pass and pass and in Europe there is no one better than Real Madrid ”. So sincere Zidane sounded like six hours later Guardiola, who has never disguised his admiration for the great bleu player, who asked for the shirt after Spain fell with France in the 2000 Eurocup.
In this climate of agreement between their respective technicians, in these eighths two teams will be measured that pass a time of irregularity. Liverpool has made the City doubt, even though in its ideology the pampering of the ball prevails over everything. In the case of Madrid, the team has gone through several phases. From the horror of the preseason to the comeback after the fiasco of Mallorca. And, suddenly, after the vaping cup with Real has come a crash in LaLiga. Europe and Sunday's classic will reflect whether it is only a parenthesis or the diagnosis is aggravated.
For the duel with the English team, Zidane recovers Bale, along with Vinicius candidate for the attack with Benzema. No track was given by the Marseille coach, who left James, Nacho, Brahim and Mariano out of the call. Guardiola, meanwhile, sang Sterling's discharge, with muscle problems in recent days.
Each with his slate in tow after a day of reflection marked by the exquisite camaraderie between ZZ and Guardiola. In the background, the prediction of Sergio Ramos: "It will be a game for uncles, not children."
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