On Monday, Manchester City will come back to the Bernabeu feeling assured that they have what it takes to triumph in the Champions League. Despite only achieving a draw in Madrid last year, Kevin De Bruyne’s goal paved the way for their impressive victory at the Etihad Stadium that ultimately led them to their first European Cup in 2018. In the first leg, the team showed determination to overcome the pain of the previous year when they missed out on reaching the final by conceding two goals in injury time. The team’s resilience in 2018 was a stark contrast to their semi-final performance under Manuel Pellegrini seven years prior. Pellegrini is mostly known for steering clear from Roberto Mancini’s tumultuous management style and forming an exciting team that won the Premier League title in 2019. However, he also made significant progress in European competitions. ALSO READ: PALACE. In his debut season, he achieved a milestone by being the first to lead City to qualify from the Champions League groups. A strange mistake in the last group match ruined their opportunity to clinch the top spot, leading them to face Barcelona in the end-2016 where they were convincingly defeated. The next year, they barely made it to the knockout stage only to once again be outplayed by Barcelona. While it was not the most attractive, there was both symbolic and financial advancement. This was followed by the 2015/16 season, during which City topped their group for the first time. They were given a last-16 match against Dynamo Kyiv as a reward, and although Pellegrini sacrificed their chances in the FA Cup due to a hectic schedule, it allowed City to advance to the quarter-finals. Facing another team with wealthy Middle Eastern owners, Paris Saint-Germain, City secured a 2-2 draw in France and then won the second leg with a goal from Kevin De Bruyne to advance to a semi-final match against Real Madrid.
