Pep Guardiola remains optimistic Manchester City can orchestrate a big turnaround against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Madrid have a 3-0 lead at the halfway stage of the last-16 tie, with Federico Valverde’s first-half hat-trick in the first leg giving City a mountain to climb.

Guardiola has not seen his side progress from a Champions League knockout-stage tie after losing the first leg since the 2014-15 quarter-finals with Bayern Munich (7-4 on aggregate v Porto), failing to advance in each of the five instances since then, and all three with City.

The Man City boss could also fail to reach the quarter-finals of the competition for a second consecutive season (eliminated by Madrid in the 2024-25 play-offs). Guardiola was only eliminated prior to the last eight in one of his first 15 editions as a manager (2016-17 with City).

The task does not get any easier for Man City, as Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have both travelled to Manchester for the second leg, having missed the first through injury.

But Guardiola, who gave his players a day off on Monday, believes City should not be written off.

"It's a football game, many things can happen," he said.

"You have to focus and first try to win the game, then after that, we will see what happens during the game. I don't have a specific plan. Just try it."

Asked if the players believe they can get past Madrid, Guardiola said: "After 10 years, you have to convince some of my players about their beliefs? They know me quite well. Every single game we try. This will be no exception.

"They have to. I am pretty sure they will try it. Of course, most of them are new to experiencing such situations.

"We are not the same group we had for many years, but, at the same time, it is an incredible experience and an incredible opportunity to try it."

City were held to just eight shots and 0.6 expected goals (xG) in the first leg of this tie, both the lowest totals for the Citizens in a Champions League game this season.

"It is about the players, putting it [the ball] into perfect positions," he added. "We played with four or five strikers in the first leg and didn't score a goal.

"We need the perfect game in many senses. In the bad moments, we know what can happen even in a perfect game in 93 or 94 minutes. We just have to try, don't give up.

"We can create chances, we know that. If we are able to be clinical and especially defend well, then we will be in the game."

City are the favourites with the Opta supercomputer to win the second leg, coming out on top in 58.5% of the pre-match simulations, though they need a four-goal swing to progress in the tie.

And captain Bernardo Silva insists nobody has given up hope.

"Even though the result in Madrid was really bad, we will fight until the end," he said.

"It will be tough. At our home, anything can happen.

"No matter what, it can still happen. We know in football and with our team at home, we are capable of creating a lot of chances."