Underdog tag may help City in bid to clinch holy grail of Euro triumph

WHILE Pep Guardiola has insisted City will ‘fight until the end’ in this season’s title race, Liverpool undeniably have an obvious advantage.

The Merseyside club show no signs of their form relenting and while the Blues will stay true to Guardiola’s promise, their attention may inevitably turn elsewhere in the search for silverware.

City will have a superb chance in the Carabao Cup if they beat rivals United in the semi-finals and the FA Cup is also be in their reach.

Guardiola is already the most successful Blues boss ever, delivering six trophies in just three seasons, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, however, there’s one trophy that has continued to elude Guardiola – the Champions League.

City fans have a complicated relationship with the competition, particularly with UEFA, and while the manager has consistently downplayed the importance of clinching European silverware in his tenure, it’s the last piece missing in the jigsaw.

While the Blues have dominated domestically in the past two seasons, laying claim to the Premier League title, Liverpool have been forced to play second fiddle.

However, this hasn’t stopped Jurgen Klopp’s men from reaching the final of the Champions League in consecutive seasons and now sitting on top of the Premier League as well, they are no longer the underdogs.

While the bookies still have City as favourites for Europe’s most sought-after prize, the pressure is now seemingly off Guardiola’s side this season and another factor which a blessing in disguise is City drawing Real Madrid in the round of 16.

In previous seasons the Blues have walked through Schalke and FC Basel in that stage of the competition and the opportunity to knock out Spanish giants Madrid could prove to be the catalyst for Champions League success.

A victory over Guardiola’s old foe would make the fans believe, while also giving City’s players a much needed confidence boost.

The Blues used to thrive in the underdog role, reaching the semifinals under Manuel Pellegrini before being narrowly edged out by Madrid at the Bernabeu and the underdog tag could help them progress further than ever before this season.