Man City star Bernardo Silva explains how Pep Guardiola is key to Real Madrid tie

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva thinks that Pep Guardiola knows exactly what’s needed to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. City head to the Spanish capital on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash.

Guardiola has only lost once as a manager against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, in eight visits.

He won five of those games against Los Blancos; all of which came as Barcelona boss.

Across all fixtures – home and away – Guardiola has lost four of the 17 matches he’s been involved in, with three defeats in his last three games; two of which were with Bayern Munich.

But, Silva knows that the City boss can engineer a win against Real Madrid, and his experiences at the Bernabeu will help.

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“Yes, the truth is that Pep has already played a lot of games at the Bernabeu,” Silva told SER Catalonia.

“Not only as a player, but also as a coach.

“He knows exactly what needs to be done to win there, and we are sure to help find the solution to do it right.”

Silva also revealed that it’s a pleasure to work with Guardiola, and he’s already learned a lot from the boss since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium.

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“You learn a lot every day,” said the former AS Monaco star. “It is a pleasure.

“He’s certainly one of the best – if not the best – and the results speak for themselves.

“Since I arrived two and a half years ago, everything we earn here is very much due to Pep.

“It’s a pleasure to have him.”

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Guardiola has only come up against Real Madrid twice in the Champions League as a manager.

During the 2010/2011 season, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1 over two legs in the semi-finals.

More recently, his Bayern Munich side were dominated 5-0 on aggregate during the 2-13/2014 campaign.

Guardiola has described Real Madrid as “the king” of the Champions League. But, he’s excited to take on the club once again.

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“I know how difficult it is against the quality of their players,” said the City manager.

“But, we have the desire to be ourselves. We can win, we can lose.

“We must try to be ourselves in these 180 minutes we have to face Real Madrid.

“For us there is an excitement. We try to do our best, knowing we play against the king of this competition.”

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