Why Man City may need to score two goals against Real Madrid as “likely scenario” is made clear before Champions League clash

There is an “incredibly high” chance that Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe scores in Wednesday’s Champions League showdown with Manchester City at the Bernabeu, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

The 26-year-old forward has emerged as a doubt for matchday six after missing training on Tuesday, but he is likely to feature in some capacity if he passes a late fitness test.

After scoring 44 goals in his debut campaign at the Bernabeu, Mbappe has already found the net 25 times in just 21 appearances for Los Blancos across all competitions this season, including nine strikes in five Champions League matches - already a personal best in the competition.

Mbappe, who scored all four goals in Real Madrid’s eventful 4-3 away victory over Olympiacos a fortnight ago, boasts an impressive record against Man City, as he has netted seven times in as many meetings with the Citizens.

The France international produced a man-of-the-match display as he scored a superb hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 3-1 second-leg win at home to Man City in the Champions League playoff round last season.

"You have to plan for that eventuality"

McInerney has suggested that Mbappe - if fit - is all but certain to score on Wednesday and believes that Man City must “plan” to net at least two goals of their own as a result if they wish to prevail in the Spanish capital.

Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: “Mbappe, he's been giving us trouble since [he played for] Monaco. His performance against us in 2016-17 was one of his breakout performances.

“His goalscoring record this season is absolutely mental. He's got nine goals in five games in the Champions League, he's absolutely flying. He's the main guy now. 25 goals in 21 games already. He's an elite player, he's a special footballer, and he very obviously belongs at this level.

“The one thing Man City have been susceptible to, more than anything, is fast breaks. Mbappe's pretty much the best player in the world at that. Him and [Erling] Haaland are the two people on a counter-attack that you don't want to face - Mbappe maybe even more so with that electric pace in behind.

“He's just a truly special footballer, the one that I don't know if you can even fully keep quiet, you can't really plan for him, he's just ridiculous. Just keep the ball nowhere near him if you can.

“I think you'd have to go into the game expecting him to score, if I'm being honest. That's probably the best way to look at it. He probably will score because the odds of him scoring are incredibly, incredibly high. He's likely to score, because that's what he does.

“He's probably going to score, so your job is to score two, make sure you score two or maybe three, because Mbappe scoring is the likely scenario. That's the way I view it, as a City fan.

“Of course, [Real Madrid] have had blanks this season - the Liverpool game, [against Celta Vigo and Rayo] Vallecano recently - so it's not impossible to stop them from scoring, but Mbappe's such a special footballer that I think you have to plan for that eventuality, because you can't really keep someone of that magnitude quiet for the entire game.”

"This is a really good time to play Real Madrid"

Despite fears of Mbappe potentially hurting Man City once again, McInerney is hopeful that Pep Guardiola’s side can take the game to Real Madrid and claim a statement win to boost their last-16 qualification hopes.

“This is a really good time to play Real Madrid,” he added. “It's their competition and they're cracking in the Champions League, but they are not in good form, they're not at all.

“The Celta Vigo loss (2-0 in La Liga) was a head-loss game for them really, and they haven't really set the world alight recently anyway. I know they beat Athletic 3-0 the other day, but they drew against Girona, only just beat Olympiacos away from home.

“Their quality is undeniable and Mbappe’s in the form of his life, scoring an absolute ton of goals. Vinicius Junior is an elite player, [Jude] Bellingham's back in the side too, [Aurelien] Tchouameni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, [Federico] Valverde, you can name these players all day..,so I don't know how it’s going so wrong for them, it's just they aren't really blending with Xabi Alonso currently.

“So, on paper, it's a very good time to play Real Madrid, because they are thrashing around for intensity and consistency...I think the Real Madrid fans have not necessarily enjoyed watching their side this season, but City will have to take them seriously.”

'Goals, drama and shambolic defending' predicted for Real Madrid vs. Man City

Man City are gearing up for their 15th meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League and their ninth in the last five seasons, with Guardiola’s men hoping to avoid a fourth straight loss against Los Blancos.

“It feels weird to say, but there's history between City and Madrid now,” said McInerney. “It's a storied history already, it's a modern-day battle of giants and [Real will] be up for this game because it's Man City. They always are and they always find a level against us.

“In the last two or three seasons, they've had been hell-bent on revenge against us given the 4-0 [semi-final first-leg win for City in May 2023] ahead of the treble.

“I can't get my head around how I feel about this. You never know what Madrid's going to turn up, you really don't...they've got an absurd amount of talent in that side, it just depends which version of them turns up.

“I'm hoping City just go at them to be honest. We're not great away from home this season but I'm hoping people like [Jeremy] Doku, Haaland, [Phil] Foden, [Rayan] Cherki [play]. I hope Cherki plays for what it's worth. I think Guardiola would be stupid not to play him actually. At the Bernabeu, there's no way Cherki won't want to play there. He's the kind of person who will absolutely thrive in that kind of occasion.

“I think City go there, hopefully, with something to prove a little bit after the Leverkusen shambles (2-0 home loss) and because it's a massive game. We've not been amazing in big games this season and I guess this would be a statement, beating Real Madrid here would be a real front-foot-forward move for City after the Premier League results and after the Leverkusen one, and of course it puts us one step closer to qualification.”

Providing a score prediction, McInerney said: “2-2 draw. I don't see City winning it, and I think it's going to be an entertaining game. I think lots of goals, probably great goals, a lot of drama, shambolic defending. I reckon both sides will be happy with their goals, but both sides will be annoyed with how they conceded them.”

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