Man City will look to finish the job against Real Madrid in their Champions League tie next month, but they’ll have to do so without talisman Sergio Aguero.
The two sides meet in the second leg of their round-of-16 tie on August 7, with City holding a 2-1 advantage after a thrilling win at the Bernabeu earlier this year prior to the lockdown.
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With the draw conducted on Friday, the team which advances will face either Juventus or Lyon in the next round, and so they will be desperate to take a step closer to winning the trophy.
Real Madrid are currently in an ongoing scrap for the La Liga title and are closing in on some silverware, while City still have the FA Cup to play for having already lost their league crown to Liverpool.
However, Pep Guardiola has conceded that he has been dealt a pivotal blow for the all-important showdown with Los Blancos at the Etihad next month, as Aguero will play no part.
AS report that the City boss has confirmed that the Argentine International will not be involved after he underwent surgery last month to repair a torn meniscus in his knee and so he will not recover in time to take on the Spanish giants.
While it’s of course unfortunate that such a quality player will be missing from the game which undoubtedly takes something away from it as a spectacle, Real Madrid will perhaps be breathing a major sigh of relief given the 32-year-old has bagged 23 goals and four assists in 32 appearances so far this season and has continued to be a talisman for the Premier League outfit.
City will undoubtedly miss his presence, clinical edge up top and experience at the top level, but it was Gabriel Jesus who grabbed the first away goal in their win at the Bernabeu, and so it will now be down to the Brazilian forward to help fire City into the next round.