Manchester City are preparing for their crucial Etihad Stadium showdown with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, with these continental powerhouses facing off for the second time in their juicy semifinal match-up.
These two sides drew 1-1 in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Kevin de Bruyne's brilliant outside-of-the-box goal canceling out Vinicius Junior's opener to hand the Cityzens the advantage.
And with De Bruyne and Co. having all but won the Premier League title race following Arsenal's recent 3-0 loss at home to Brighton, Manchester City have the golden opportunity of winning the treble, a feat only bitter rivals Manchester United have achieved in English football.
However, Pep's side must first overcome Real Madrid before they can start thinking about a treble and the Spanish tactician will unfortunately be without one key player. That man is Nathan Ake, the center-back turned full-back who has established himself as one of the best Premier League defenders this season.
The former Bournemouth ace picked up an injury in the second leg of Manchester City's quarterfinal encounter with Bayern Munich before returning for the clashes against West Ham and Leeds.
However, the player went off injured in that 2-1 victory over Leeds, with Guardiola now revealing that he will be absent for the return leg against Real Madrid.
Breaking: Nathan Ake is ruled out for #ManCity vs Real Madrid, confirms Pep Guardiola.
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) May 16, 2023
Ake is one of Man City's best 1v1 defenders and having him present for a potential battle with Rodrygo would have been beneficial. However, the soon-to-be Premier League champions have shown that they can defend superbly in the Dutchman's absence and will look to emulate just that when Los Blancos pay them a visit.
