The Premier League champions’ domestic form will not matter when they come up against the Blancos in Europe, according to the France defender
Benjamin Mendy says Manchester City will be ready for the challenge when they come up against Real Madrid in the Champions League, despite their struggles in the Premier League this season.
City drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on Saturday – a result which leaves them 13 points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more than their title rivals.
Pep Guardiola’s men have already dropped five more points than they did in the whole of the 2018-19 campaign, with five defeats and three draws on their record from 23 fixtures.
A third successive league crown looks highly unlikely for City at this stage, but they are still going strong in three other competitions.
The Blues are on the verge of another Carabao Cup final appearance and have already secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup, but European glory is now their main aim.
City have a last-16 Champions League tie against Real Madrid to look forward to, with the first leg set to take place at Santiago Bernabeu on February 26.
Mendy – who has racked up 18 appearances across all competitions for the English champions this term – is confident they will be “on fire” for that clash regardless of their position domestically.
“That will be another kind of game – Champions League, big game,” he said.
“Every game is big, but everyone knows that this game will be watched by everyone, so mentally you have a feeling, the atmosphere, how you come to the game puts you on fire, excited.”
When asked how the City squad are dealing with the disappointment of being so far behind Liverpool in the Premier League, Mendy added: “We deal well with it. When another team is doing well you can’t be upset or angry.
“We know when you start the season, after winning the league, you have to win most of the games. This is the truth, no-one can complain – they (Liverpool) are a good team, strong team who win, win and win, so in our dressing room we try to focus on us.
“All the people say Man City are finished, that we’re finished. They can say what they want – we will just keep focussing on us, play our football, win the games, to fight until the league is over.
“When you have won two titles in a row, or even one, the next season is not easy. We have seen that other teams who have won the title have not reached the Champions League the season after – they were in the Europa League.
“We won our first title, and then won again, and are now we are still second or third. It’s not easy in the Premier League – every team fights and believe they can do something.
“That’s why this league is a dream, and we enjoy it so much. We don’t have the answer of what happened, but every player tries to give everything for the team.”
City will be back in Premier League action on Tuesday when they take in a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United.
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