The legendary former Manchester City striker is confident that Pep Guardiola’s men can overturn the deficit against Real Madrid despite returning stars
Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero believes his former side can still pull off a remarkable turnaround against Real Madrid in the Champions League, despite trailing significantly from the first leg. Agüero’s comments come ahead of Tuesday’s second‑leg clash as City seek to overturn the 3-0 aggregate deficit at the Etihad Stadium.
City went into the tie as favourites but find themselves on the back foot after a heavy defeat in the first match following a Federico Valverde hat-trick, leaving them with a steep challenge to qualify. Real Madrid’s strong showing has put them in the driving seat, but Agüero believes that belief and momentum can swing the tie in City’s favour.
The Argentine striker, who remains one of Manchester City’s most celebrated players from his decade with the club, offered encouragement to City supporters by stressing the unpredictable nature of football and the potential for a comeback.
Agüero: “Why couldn’t City do it this time?”
City’s all-time record goalscorer acknowledged that the task might be even tougher than the first leg due to the fact that Los Blancos welcome back key players like Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Álvaro Carreras, but nevertheless has confidence in his club.
“Every match still has to be played. It’s an important gap, but at this level anything is possible. I’m sure City will go out there trying to win,” Agüero told Stake.
“Also, no two games are the same. It’s true that Madrid will have Mbappé, Carreras and Bellingham back, and that will make things harder. But you have to believe in the team.
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“Many times it has been Madrid producing the comeback. Why couldn’t City do it this time? Especially a club like City that has “fight until the end” in its DNA.”
Agüero’s backing arrives as Pep Guardiola’s side prepare to approach the match with optimism despite the uphill nature of their task. City’s manager and players have also spoken about belief and resilience in recent days, highlighting the mental aspect of overturning a multi‑goal deficit.
The first leg result – a comprehensive Real Madrid win – has not dampened spirits across the City fanbase, and Agüero’s remarks reflect that optimism.
The Champions League has a history of dramatic second‑leg turnarounds, and City will be hoping to add their name to that list on home soil.
Guardiola calls for perfection
The belief that Agüero mentions is all well and good but, as Guardiola himself has emphasised, City will need to be at their absolute best and need luck to be on their side if they are to turn things around.
“In other comebacks we did incredible things, but we conceded or goal difference [was decisive], or we were out for decisions from referees,” Guardiola said at his press conference.
“It has to be a perfect game in many departments to make these kind of things.”