Defeating Manchester City has never been easier than this.

Real Madrid has never been overturned when holding a three-goal or greater lead in any of the 35 instances that have occurred in the Champions League.

Not only does history favor the Galacticos ahead of Manchester City's visit in tonight's second leg of the quarter-finals, but their current decline makes the English club's chances of a comeback even more slim.

Real Madrid's History

In fact, Pep Guardiola's team is one of the few clubs that have beaten Real Madrid 4-0 in a Champions League match in recent years, when the two sides met in the second leg of the 2022/23 semi-finals. However, the Galacticos have won the two most recent encounters: last year in the play-offs with victories both at home and away, and the year before with a famous penalty shootout win where backup goalkeeper Lunin became the hero.

And just one week ago, Alvaro Arbeloa's team entered the match against The Citizens as the underdogs. Many doubted their form and the outcome, but the opposite happened; the Galacticos played an inspired game and excellently overwhelmed their opponent.

The 3-0 victory gives them a much stronger position heading to the land of fog. Meanwhile, the home team is in a free-fall trend at the decisive stage of the season. The draw with West Ham has almost eliminated Pep Guardiola's team from the Premier League title race. The helplessness of the blue-clad team at the Bernabeu shows they no longer have the ability to perform in big matches, lacking stars who can create breakthroughs, and making continuous mistakes in the defensive system.

And a particularly crucial factor: the Champions League has transformed Real Madrid, or more precisely, Arbeloa's team always has the ability to elevate themselves in the European arena, the competition where they are considered the undisputed kings.

The history of the Champions League is the history of Real Madrid; they are rarely challenged by declining opponents like Manchester City, the team against whom they staged an unprecedented comeback in 2022. That is also the team they defeated two years later in a penalty shootout at the Etihad.

You can always expect more from the white-clad team. Sometimes it's six minutes of added time for a comeback, sometimes it's forty-two minutes for three goals by Federico Valverde on a day when they were missing almost all their best stars.

The Reality for Manchester City

Against any version of Real Madrid, opponents should prepare for surprises, even when they are declining and losing all that is considered their best. But at the Etihad tonight, Manchester City must not only contend with their own slump in form but also face Real Madrid at a particularly sensitive moment: the Galacticos are reviving, along with the return of Kylian Mbappe, adding further difficulty to Guardiola's game.

The issue lies in the organization and operational style of the two teams. Manchester City plays less aggressively, passes too much. Although they handle the ball more cautiously, are less dangerous, and approach Thibaut Courtois' penalty area faster, they lack the explosiveness of star players, the overall efficiency of the collective, and stability compared to Real Madrid.

The Galacticos always find answers in the toughest situations and with the most "pure" approach to the match: tight defense and finishing opponents off from counter-attacking situations.

Establishing a two-layer defensive system with tightly maintained spacing can help Real Madrid easily neutralize Manchester City's organized attacking plays built through passing. And simultaneously, they always have stars like Vinicius and Mbappe to fully exploit the host team's mistakes. Defeating Manchester City has never been easier for Real Madrid.