Ahead of the second-leg playoff match for a place in the Champions League Round of 16 (23.00), following the first game in which Real Madrid emerged victorious (3-2), the legendary Brazilian, Casemiro, spoke about various topics concerning his former club.Real Madrid and Man City’s head-to-head record is perfectly balanced…for now 👀⚖️🍿 pic.twitter.com/b0FH6LtEOb— OneFootball (@OneFootball) February 19, 2025 First and foremost, it is worth mentioning that Casemiro has won the European championship five times with the Royal Club, so he certainly has knowledge of what awaits Real in the match against Manchester City. Just as none of us were surprised—given Real’s history of dramatic comebacks in this competition—neither was the Brazilian particularly shocked by the situation his former club found itself in when they were trailing by a goal in the 80th minute.”It wasn’t a surprise to me. Madrid almost always does it and everyone knows the history of this team and what it is capable of doing. Madrid always grows until the end and never gives up. Even losing 2-1, I knew there was a lot to play for. And that’s City and a great coach like Guardiola. But they did it. On top of that, the return leg will be at the Bernabéu with a great result after the 2-3. It won’t be easy, but the Bernabeu, on those Champions League nights, is very special. I wish all the luck in the world to my former teammates and not only because of my rivalry with City, but more so for Madrid. I hope they get through to the last 16.” ‘We are better without Mbappe’Speaking about Kylian Mbappe, the Brazilian had only words of praise, and his prediction regarding the Frenchman’s goal tally for the Royal Club is quite interesting.Mbappé is an unstoppable player. My first encounter with him was in the Champions League in Paris, at the Parc des Princes. He did everything to us. We lost 1-0 with a goal from him, but it was crazy. He’s the kind of player who will go down in football history. Kylian already has 25 goals and will pass 40 in his first year.” said Real Madrid’s former player.Bellingham and Diaz stun City in another epic gameAdditionally, he commented on the general mentality within the Royal Club, where, despite already having 15 titles, they are already discussing a potential 16th.”I’m going to tell you something that I hadn’t explained in any interview until today. We were in the dressing room after the Champions League in Milan against Atleti, which we won on penalties. We were celebrating the Undecima and Luka Modric came up to us and said, calmly and in his very peculiar Spanish: “Friends, we have to win two more Champions Leagues now.” We told him, “Come on Luka, we’ve won two almost in a row since Lisbon.” He replied: “No, no. With this great team we have, we have to take advantage of it and make history by winning two more in a row, at least.” And we won the 12th in Cardiff and the 13th in Kyiv. In a row. Luka knew that. At Madrid you win the Champions League and the next day they tell you: “Let’s see next year.” You only win the League and well, nothing special and they’ll tell you that the European Cup was missing. You only win the Cup and they’ll tell you that the season was a disaster. That’s Madrid, maximum demands. If Madrid loses a game, even if it has won ten games in a row, it is called a crisis. That is the key to Madrid’s eternal success.” added Casemiro.’Haaland to Real…it’s going to happen’However, speaking about the second-leg clash between the two great clubs, the Brazilian still gives the advantage to his former team, despite the dangers lurking from all sides, including Haaland, De Bruyne, and others.”This is the Bernabeu. But be careful, it’s going to be difficult. City aren’t at their best, but they’re City. They have Haaland, De Bruyne, a great goalkeeper like Ederson. Madrid, together with the Bernabeu, are going to make it very difficult for City. I hope Madrid makes it to the last 16.” concluded legendary Brazilian.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – PLAYOFFSReturn legTuesdayMilan – Feyenoord 1-1 (0-1)/Gimenez 1 – Carranza 73/Feyenoord win 2-1 on aggAtalanta – Club Brugge 1-3 (0-3)/Talbi 3, 27, Jutgla 45+3 – Lookman 46/Brugge win 5-2 on aggBayern – Celtic 1-1 (0-0)/Kuhn 63 – Davies 90+4/Bayern win 3-2 on aggBenfica – Monaco 3-3 (1-1)/Akturkoglu 22, Pavlidis 76 pen, Kokcu 84 – Minamino 32, Ben Seghir 51, Ilenikhena 81/Benfica win 4-3 on aggWednesday 20.45: (1.95) Dortmund (3.50) Sporting (3.90)23.00: (1.18) PSG (7.25) Brest (15.0)23.00: (2.30) PSV (3.45) Juventus (3.05)23.00: (1.85) Real Madrid (3.80) Man.City (4.00)***odds are subject to change***
