Pundit Nigel Reo-Coker has said that if Pep Guardiola starts Riyad Mahrez instead of Bernardo Silva against Real Madrid, Manchester City could reach the Champions League final.
The £60 million (Sky Sports) man has not had his best season, which has led to him losing his spot in the side.
However, pundit Nigel Reo-Coker has still backed Riyad Mahrez to make the difference for Manchester City against Real Madrid in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Pundit says Mahrez could settle Manchester City vs Real Madrid tie
Branded as ‘so efficient’ by Gary Neville, Bernardo Silva has had that right-wing spot on lock, after his pair of masterclasses against Bayern Munich where he was a nuisance for the opposition.
Both in terms of his 1v1 ability up against Alphonso Davies and his tireless workrate.
However, as the Portuguese international struggled up against Eduardo Camavinga on Tuesday night, pundit Nigel Reo-Coker vouched for Riyad Mahrez to start for Manchester City against Real Madrid next Wednesday.
“I thought that was a fascinating game of football. These are two top class teams going at each other. In my opinion, I don’t think City have any more to offer than what we saw today. The only thing City can do is maybe starting Mahrez”, he said on CBS Soccer’s House of Champions Podcast.
“Real Madrid are at their best with their backs against the wall, and they will go to the Etihad knowing what they have to do to win this tie and we will see them at their best there.”
MCN View: Dilemma for Pep Guardiola
On one hand, pundit Nigel Reo-Coker makes a good point as Riyad Mahrez is a bigger 1v1 threat than Bernardo Silva, which would aid Manchester City at home against Real Madrid.
In addition, the Algerian tends to shine the brightest in the Champions League.
However, Silva’s incredible pressing, workrate and big-game heroics make him such a difficult player to drop.
To add to that, Mahrez has been far from his majestic best, which makes it all the more challenging for Guardiola to pick his XI ahead of the much-awaited clash.
