Pep believes Madrid become a more aggressive pressing team since selling Ronaldo

Pep Guardiola believes Real Madrid have become a more aggressive pressing team since selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Manchester City travel to Madrid for the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie on Wednesday night and it's now a Los Blancos side without the threat of Ronaldo, who left after Real's 13th European title was secured in 2018.

Real have found it difficult to adapt having lost Ronaldo's goals, but Guardiola has seen positives to life at the Bernabeu without the former Manchester United attacker.

"I think Ronaldo with Messi, is a guy who scores 50 or 60 goals a season and has maintained his level all season. No team cannot become a little bit softer if they leave," the City boss said.

"But it is two seasons without him and Madrid are playing at a good level and [were] top of the league right now. I have seen their games and there are things they did not do before. They press forward and they don't wait.

"They are incredibly aggressive with the quality of the players they have. They are always a top side."

Guardiola believes facing the 13 times champions of Europe is the ultimate test for his side, who are still searching for their first final in the competition.

"It is the real, real test. The king of this competition against one team who are not used to playing these kind of games much as our best performances was one semi-final of the Champions League in our history," he said.

"So, it will be in a marvellous stadium where we have to show our personality so I know that my players, myself, all the club, want to fight until the end for this title and to arrive in the later stages and one day, dream to win the Champions League but if you want to dream that and you want to do it, you have to face these teams.

"This is the last 16 but maybe the quarter-finals, maybe the semi-finals, maybe the final. You have to beat Madrid, you have to beat Barcelona, you have to beat Bayern Munich. You have to beat the big, big big clubs in this competition if you are to try and win it."