5 reasons why Real Madrid can beat Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16

#3 Guardiola's disappointing UCL record doesn't bode well for the Cityzens

Pep Guardiola's team recently lost to Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA Cup as well

Pep Guardiola is one of the brightest minds in football but the Catalan has shown a tendency to overthink things on the biggest stage - the Champions League.

In his first season in charge of the Manchester City, Guardiola oversaw a heartbreaking loss to a youthful Monaco side consisting of Kylian Mbappe. Despite winning the first leg 5-3, City collapsed 3-1 at Monaco to exit the competition on away goals in embarrassing fashion.

In the next season, the former Barcelona manager had the misfortune of encountering a confident Liverpool side that steamrolled their Premier League rivals. This is, of course, apart from the Tottenham Hotspur outfit that clawed their way back last year to overcome City and reach the final.

This pattern of Guardiola might cost his side dearly against Real Madrid, who are the undisputed kings of the Champions League. When he was the Bayern Munich boss as well, Los Blancos ran out 4-0 winners in the 2nd leg, with a certain Portuguese forward doing the honours on that occasion.

The Manchester City boss is undoubtedly one of the best managers in the world, but his sub-par record in the Champions League is in stark contrast to that of Real Madrid gaffer Zidane's......

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#2 Zinedine Zidane's UCL magic could make its presence felt once again

Zinedine Zidane has won the UCL in every season he has been Real Madrid's manager

When Zinedine Zidane took over from Rafael Benitez as the Real Madrid manager, few people could have expected the European reign that was to follow.

After winning the Champions League in each of his first three seasons, the Frenchman left the club due to suspected differences with President Florentino Perez. The departure of the record goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo added insult to injury, and an understandably poor season led to Perez convincing Zidane to return to the Spanish capital.

Zidane has already won the LaLiga title this season, but where he truly excels is in two-legged Champions League ties. Under his tenure, Real Madrid have beaten Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in the tournament's knock-out stages.

Against Manchester City, the wealth of experience that he and his players possess will be invaluable. In short, Zinedine Zidane knows how to get things done in the Champions League, especially against quality opposition.

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#1 Form is on Real Madrid's side

Real Madrid and striker Karim Benzema have been in imperious form

Since the LaLiga restart, Real Madrid have been on a tear, and dropped only two points (in the final gameweek of the campaign) en route to their 34th league title. In the process, they chalked up 10 consecutive wins in the Spanish top-flight, keeping 6 clean sheets and scoring 21 goals.

Almost all of their players (barring the injury-hit Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic) have been fit and firing on all cylinders. The form of striker Karim Benzema, in particular, has been incredible since the restart. With Luka Modric and Marco Asensio rejuvenated as well, Real Madrid are simply in a great position to overturn the deficit.

Manchester City, on the other hand, suffered an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Arsenal (who finished 8th in the Premier League) in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The Sky Blues also fell to Southampton and Chelsea after the resumption of the league.

Moreover, LaLiga finished around a week before the Premier League, giving the Spanish team some valuable time for rest, recovery and training. Guardiola also recently confirmed that City's leading goal-scorer, Sergio Aguero, will be unavailable for this tie due to injury.

Form is on Real Madrid's side, and they could pull off a heist at the Etihad on the 7th of August.