Steve McManaman believes Kylian Mbappe needs to propel Real Madrid to victory over Manchester City in their Champions League knockout play-off if he wants to be in with the opportunity of winning his first Ballon d’Or next year.
Los Blancos, 15-time winners of the competition, travel to the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night for the first leg of a blockbuster battle, which has been deemed the European Clasico.
It will be the fifth time the two giants have clashed in the last six years, with the last four coming in either the quarter-final or semi-final stage.
On this occasion, both City and Madrid, who have won the last three Champions League titles between them, could face an early exit from the competition before the round of 16.
With so much at stake, McManaman, who played for both City and Madrid, says that stars such as Mbappe and Erling Haaland have to deliver in the latest installment of the renewed rivalry.
‘Everything is on the line for both [teams], and individually, everything’s on the line for the players as well,’ McManaman tells Mail Sport.
Steve McManaman believes Kylian Mbappe needs to influence Real Madrid’s tie with Man City
McManaman said ‘everything is on the line’ for players such as Mbappe and Erling Haaland
Madrid travel to the Etihad on Tuesday even to play City in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off, which is the fourth consecutive season the teams have faced off
‘If you want personal titles, if you’re Kylian Mbappe and you want to be a Ballon d’Or winner in your first year at Madrid, they’re going to need to win.
‘Likewise, for individual awards for the Manchester City players, Erling Haaland hasn’t scored against them.
‘He’s going to be up against the inexperienced defenders this time around, so he has to make a big play for himself as well. So, there are loads of little conundrums.’
Both Man City and Real Madrid are accustomed to going far in the Champions League, with the victor of their past three ties going on to win the competition.
However, this season the two powerhouses meet in different circumstances. Both have endured difficult seasons, and are now fighting to merely book a place in the knockout stages.
Tuesday’s encounter between the English and Spanish champions will see some of European football’s biggest stars missing through injury.
City will be without the current Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri, who remains absent following an ACL rupture in October, while Madrid have had a myriad of fitness problems in defence.
Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao, like Rodri, will be missing for Los Blancos due to ACL injuries, and both David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger will not be available for the first leg.
Eder Militao is also out with an ACL rupture with Madrid missing several key defenders
The victor of City and Madrid’s last three ties have gone on to win the Champions League
‘They are meeting a Real Madrid absolutely decimated defensively. Dani Carvajal is out, [David] Alaba’s out, [Antonio] Rudiger is out, Eder Militao is out,’ McManaman continues.
‘City can’t complain necessarily about their injury problems when you can reel off a list of defenders missing the game like that.’
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City and Madrid have played out some thrilling ties in recent times, with the pair netting 25 goals between them across their last three two-legged ties.
And due to the amount of absentees in the defensive department for both clubs McManaman, who won two Champions League titles as a Galactico, reckons the goalscoring will continue this time around.
‘I think there’ll be goals because the two teams are better up top than defensively. City let in five the other day [at Arsenal], Real Madrid have got no defence.
‘Defensively, both sides are weak. You would think that there’ll be lots of chances because Madrid are strong up top and City are strong up top.’
Watch the UEFA Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Offs, including the all-important second leg of Real Madrid v Manchester City on Wednesday 19th February, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, the home of European football
