Manchester City's Pep Guardiola has 'something up his sleeve' for Real Madrid last-16 second-leg UEFA Champions League clash - Joe Cole

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Real Madrid seemingly have one foot in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after a 3-0 first-leg win over Manchester City at the Bernabeu. But TNT pundit Joe Cole is not so sure that the tie is done and dusted before the second leg at the Etihad Stadium given the managerial pedigree of Pep Guardiola, who us a four-tie European champions as a player and head coach.

Guardiola 'will have something up his sleeve' for Champions League clash with Madrid - Cole

Video credit: TNT Sports

Pep Guardiola will have "something up his sleeve" for Real Madrid.

That is the view of TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole following Manchester City’s damaging 3-0 defeat in their last-16 first-leg Champions League defeat at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Guardiola’s side were blown away by a first-half hat-trick from Federico Valverde.

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The result, which would have been worse had it not been for a penalty save from Gianluigi Donnarumma which denied Vinicius Junior, left the club’s Champions League dreams hanging by a thread before the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

However, Cole, speaking from the London Stadium prior to City’s Premier League game against West Ham United, believes that Guardiola’s side could still have a surprise or two for Real, who were missing Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Eder Militao in the first leg.

Highlights: Valverde first-half hat-trick rocks Man City

Video credit: TNT Sports

"Listen, he’s just a top manager," said Cole. "If you do it for as long as him, you’re going to get things wrong. You can’t get it perfect [every time].

"Obviously, you lose 3-0, you make mistakes, but what you can’t discount is [that] he’ll have something up his sleeve for the return leg. I think rightly so.

"When you heard him speak after the game, he’s like, ‘Listen, we’re coming to London to play West Ham'.

"They need a positive result here for multiple reasons. [A win] gets that taste out of your mouth, that defeat, if you come here and put on a performance and win the game. He’ll have something up his sleeve, no doubt."

Did Guardiola get team selection wrong?

There were questions about Guardiola's decision to use an attacking 4-2-2-2 formation in the game against Los Blancos given how quickly the night unravelled for them.

However, Guardiola defended his team selection before the West Ham match.

Hart: Guardiola smelt blood but got a rude awakening

Video credit: TNT Sports

He told reporters: "I had to explain it [team selection] before and after. After 10 years [at City]? I would not convince you one second, any one of you, anyone. Why? Because we lost 3-0, destroyed, yeah it’s normal. It’s not personal, believe me, it’s all the managers.

"It’s not the first time I played in that competition, the Champions League, 17 years playing in that competition, and every time I lose, boom, my God. Pew, pew, pew [mimicking a gun firing]. The storm passed in one day, now West Ham."

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