Ex-Barca star explains how pressure of not winning UCL will impact Man City against Madrid

Former Barcelona midfielder Jofre Mateu has given his insight into the kind of pressure that will be on Manchester City while heading into the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final against Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola's side has never won a UCL medal in the side's history, and the pressure will be on them to deliver, having reached the semi-finals for a second consecutive season in a row.

Real Madrid vs Man City: How will Pep's side cope with pressure?

While speaking in a conference call organized by the Sony Sports Network, Jofre Mateu said, "Yes I think so," on being asked if the pressure of not winning the UEFA Champions League would play on the minds of manager Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City players.

The Spaniard went on to explain, "The balance is how motivated you are to achieve it and how is going to be the pressure created by the opponents and of the occasion itself. So, I think Guardiola is trying to manage it and it is not going to be easy as (Real) Madrid always appears when they are down."

However, the former Barcelona midfielder added that he believes that the Citizens are up for the challenge as they have experienced players, and Pep often comes up with 'extraordinary plans.' However, he did caution Manchester City fans that following their own plan could determine how the match unfolds.

Real Madrid vs Man City first leg review

The Real Madrid vs Man City first leg at the Etihad Stadium produced a thriller, with Pep Guardiola's side emerging victorious by a scoreline of 4-3. Even though the home side dominated the game, they never managed to put their Spanish opponents out of sight, as Carlo Ancelotti's side kept producing a comeback after comeback.

Kevin de Bruyne opened the scoring for Manchester City as early as the second minute before Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead in the eleventh minute. However, the 13-time UCL champions were never going to go down so easily, as Karim Benzema scored a goal in the 33rd minute with a brilliant finish.

Despite three goals in the first half, the match was far from over, with Phil Foden once again helping the Citizens register a lead of two goals. Just as Pep Guardiola's side looked comfortable again, they conceded with Vinicius Junior scoring the goal.

A similar pattern followed with Bernardo Silva scoring in the 74th minute before Benzema again reduced the Citizens' lead to just a goal in the 82nd minute by scoring a penalty. Following the conclusion of the match, Ancelotti explained how his team were fortunate to still be in the tie, suggesting how difficult it was to cope with the intensity of Manchester City. If Pep's side can control their nerves, they are undoubtedly the favourites to go through to the finals.