Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again on Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu, resuming one of the Champions Leagueโs defining modern rivalries at a moment of profound tension in Spainโs capital.
For Xabi Alonso, the manager brought in to lead Real Madrid into a new era, the match may carry consequences far beyond group standings.
For Pep Guardiolaโs Manchester City, it is a chance to steady a shaky European campaign and reaffirm their status as the continentโs most relentlessly engineered machine.
What was supposed to be a steady chapter in Madridโs season has become something close to a crisis.
Realโs 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo on Sunday โ their first home defeat of the campaign โ was not merely a stumble; it was a collapse that exposed fractures across the squad.
Madrid squandered chances, suffered further injuries at the back and unravelled emotionally, finishing the match with three red cards in a stadi
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