Although Man City will still be the overwhelming favourites to progress in their Champions League tie against Real Madrid, it sounds like they might lose some of their advantage.
City won the first leg 2-1 in Madrid and the Spanish giants will also be without Sergio Ramos after he was sent off, but a report from Sky Sports suggests the second leg won’t be played at The Etihad.
It’s now said that the game will be played in Portugal, and Real Madrid may now fancy their chances.
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They’ll have a shorter flight than their opponents, but their form since the break has also been incredible. They’ve played some lovely stuff and Hazard and Benzema have forged a fruitful partnership, so they suddenly look like a much more dangerous opponent for Pep Guardiola and his men.
The reason for this is that the Real Madrid players would need to self isolate for 14 days if they arrive in the UK, so that makes playing the game in Manchester virtually impossible.
The report does state that this is under review so there’s still time for things to change, but it’s looking like Man City’s home advantage might disappear.