Pep Guardiola yet to decide between starting Ederson & Stefan Ortega against Real Madrid as Brazilian returns to training

Ederson has returned to training before the clash vs Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola is in a huge dilemma on which goalies he will put in the lineup for Tuesday night’s first leg of Manchester City vs. Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal.

After being substituted out of City’s 1-1 tie with Liverpool in the previous month, Ederson was a substitute during the Premier League champions’ 4-2 triumph at Crystal Palace on Saturday.Another strong performance by Stefan Ortega included a Cruyff turn in the first half that prevented Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta from breaking the 1-1 tie at halftime.

Guardiola said: “I have to think about it because Eddie (Ederson) comes from injury, he feels good, I think so, so now I have to decide if a lack of rhythm for that match, I have to decide, but we are really pleased with the (performance) from Stefan. He is an exceptional keeper.”

Though there was some conjecture regarding Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne’s starting positions at Selhurst Park, both players were present for kickoff, and Mateta scored the game’s first goal shortly after.Oliver Glasner’s team tested City throughout the first half, but after the interval, a much more disciplined team emerged thanks to a De Bruyne masterclass.

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After Rico Lewis gave the visitors an early lead in the second half, De Bruyne set up Haaland’s 19th goal of the league season and then scored his second of the afternoon to take City’s goal total to 100.

Although they are still one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the table, who are tied on 71 points and divided by the Gunners’ goal differential, Guardiola’s 2023 treble champions are still in the running to repeat the feat this season.

Guardiola acknowledged that additional injuries this season have made it more difficult to field a new team for each game, even if City has experienced getting bogged down in multiple tournaments late in the season.This could entail making a few adjustments for Tuesday’s match and keeping an eye on the opposition a little more.

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