Manchester City stepped up their preparations for the Champions League match against Real Madrid by inviting Toni Nadal, the uncle and former coach of tennis star Rafael Nadal, to address players and staff at the club’s training ground today.



City’s Champions League campaign has taken on increased significance after falling almost insurmountably far behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race, and then the news last week that UEFA had decided to ban the club from European competition for the next two seasons.



The Athletic revealed that Pep Guardiola has urged his players to use the punishment as motivation for their game at the Santiago Bernabeu next Wednesday, telling them to prove that they are “talent, not money”.



Guardiola has instructed his players to be as focused as they have ever been on the game in the Spanish capital, ramming home the importance of good preparation, such as eating and resting well and not wasting energy...