New Delhi: Manchester City and Real Madrid will meet once more in the Champions League, a rivalry that has grown into one of the modern era’s defining European battles. This will mark their fourth meeting in the last four seasons but with one crucial difference this time around.

The two European giants are battling to stay in the tournament this season rather than a semi-final or a late-stage showdown. Both clubs have been synonymous with success in recent years, and have found themselves in an unthinkable position struggling to even reach the last 16. But how did it come to this for two of Europe’s most dominant forces let’s find out.

Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola and Omar Marmoush (Image via Reuters)

Pep Guardiola’s Man City barely scraped into the play-offs with a nerve-wracking win over Club Brugge in their final group game. Their struggles this season have been a mix of poor decisions, injuries, and a general lack of rhythm.

Pep Guardiola had the chance to reinforce his squad after another Premier League-winning campaign but opted against it due to uncertainty over his own future. He was seriously tempted by the idea of managing England and for a brief period, he was leaning toward accepting the job. But in the end, loyalty to City and the belief in his squad kept him in Manchester.

The defending champions dominantly started the season leading the Premier League and maintaining an unbeaten run across Europe’s top leagues. However, injuries and squad fatigue soon derailed them. Rodri’s long-term knee injury coupled with fitness issues for........

© News9Live