• England midfielder moved to Spain from Dortmund last summer
• Bellingham faces Manchester City in Champions League

Jude Bellingham has said joining Real Madrid was a “no-brainer” despite interest from many other elite clubs including Manchester City, who they face in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.

The midfielder signed for Real last summer from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth up to £115m after discussions with a host of clubs. Bellingham was asked how close he came to joining the treble winners.

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Young midfielder was player of the match against Real Madrid and is now trusted by Pep Guardiola to be centre stage

If you weren’t an experienced Pep Guardiola watcher, you might have assumed there was something seriously wrong with Phil Foden’s spectacular goal at the Bernabéu on Tuesday night . Finger jabbing, face creased with aggression, Guardiola strode on to the pitch to clutch Foden’s face with such vigour that he not only squished Foden’s cheeks but made his ears flap. But that’s just Guardiola showing affection.

Perhaps it is because he sees something of himself in Foden. Johan Cruyff would tell the story of looking for a technically skilful holding midfielder in the Barcelona reserves in 1990. “They told me this boy Pep was the best, so I looked for him in the B team but he didn’t play. I looked for him in the youth team but he didn’t play. Eventually I found him in the third team. I said to the coaches: ‘You said he was the best?!’ And they said: ‘Yeah, but physically …’ And I said: ‘He will grow.’” Citing the mantra that if you’re good enough, you’re big enough, Cruyff took Guardiola into the first team and made him the pivotal player of the team that won four successive La Liga titles and the 1992 European Cup .

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The knockout stages have finally started to deliver, with standout performances from Phil Foden, Antoine Griezmann and Barcelona’s reluctant fullback

Perhaps the quarter-finals are where the Champions League can be counted to catch light. This week’s first legs saw goals aplenty, with a mix of veteran and young guns starring, with each second leg set up for even more excitement.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid

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• Uruguayan cites five-time Champions League winners in squad
• ‘It was incredible to score’ says Valverde after stunning leveller

Federico Valverde has warned Manchester City that Real Madrid’s Champions League pedigree could give them an edge as they seek to end the holders’ six-year undefeated home record in the competition by knocking them out of this season’s quarter-final stage.

City drew 3-3 with Real in Tuesday’s first-leg at the Santiago Bernabéu. Pep Guardiola’s side are favourites to go through in next Wednesday’s return, in part because of home advantage – City’s last Champions League defeat at the Etihad Stadium came against Lyon in September 2018 .

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Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Nicky Bandini , Will Unwin and Sid Lowe after two belting Champions League quarter-finals first legs

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email .

On the podcast today; Real Madrid and Manchester City scored lots of very good goals in a game that finished 3-3, and the panel debate whether it’s notable that Erling Haaland didn’t get one of them.

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• Midfielder makes claim after 3-3 thriller with Real Madrid
• ‘It’s something we are planning’ he says as schedule intensifies

Rodri has pleaded for a rest and admitted Manchester City are fatigued after drawing 3-3 with Real Madrid in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Santiago Bernabéu, with the midfielder suggesting players may get a break in the coming weeks in order to combat the situation.

City are in the midst of an intense phase of the campaign as they remain on course to repeat last season’s treble. On Saturday they host Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola’s men third in the Premier League on 70 points, one behind Liverpool and Arsenal. They then host Real in next Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg before travelling to Wembley three days later to face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.

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• Spain to deploy 2,000 officers at Real Madrid v Manchester City
• French interior minister says IS ‘specifically targeted’ stadiums

Police in Madrid and Paris have stepped up security before this week’s Champions League quarter-finals following an apparent threat from Islamic State (IS).

Although Spain’s interior ministry stressed the country’s terror alert remained at level four of five, it said 2,000 officers from the National Police and Guardia Civil forces would be deployed to help municipal police patrol Real Madrid v Manchester City on Tuesday and Atlético Madrid v Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, which will both be played in the capital.

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• Club’s request granted after referee holds talks with Uefa
• Bernabéu roof was also closed for Champions League last-16 tie

Real Madrid have been granted their wish by Uefa to have the Santiago Bernabéu’s roof closed when playing Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday night to ensure as vocal an atmosphere as possible.

At a meeting in the Spanish capital on Tuesday of the Uefa match delegates and the referee, François Letexier, it was decided that Madrid would be allowed to have the stadium sealed. Four weeks ago, the governing body granted the same request for the club’s last-16 second leg against RB Leipzig, which ended 1-1 .

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• Manager says teams similar level despite City’s 5-1 win last year
• Hosts ask permission to close stadium roof for vocal atmosphere

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to “hurt and punish” Real Madrid in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, with the hosts asking Uefa’s permission to close the stadium roof to ensure as vocal an atmosphere as possible.

City knocked Real out of last year’s semi-finals 5-1 on aggregate, which included a 4-0 hammering of Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola believes that despite the result City and Real are at a similar level. On Tuesday night he wants the holders to take the initiative.

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