In his match programme notes, Slot reflected on their Champions League win against Real Madrid ahead of the City match.
“Let me start by saying Wednesday was a special night for this club,” Slot writes.
“To defeat a team like Real Madrid so many things have to come together – the performance of the players, the atmosphere created by the crowd, the preparation, the desire. It was all there. This is not to say it was perfect, because as a coach you are always striving for a perfection that might not even exist, but all of the ingredients you would want were in place.
“I liked a lot of what I saw. Again, not everything, but a lot. One of the things I liked most was that everyone from players to supporters saw the victory for what it was and that is another step forward on the road to where we want to be. This isn’t to play the win down or to make it less important. But as I said afterwards, it was a group-stage win and not a victory in the later stages or the final. Of course we can enjoy it and we did enjoy it, but we know also that there is still work to be done.
“It is also worth remembering that Real remain the best team in Europe. They won the Champions League last June and this makes them holders.
“It is a similar situation with Sunday’s opponents, Manchester City, who are the holders of the Premier League having won the title four years in a row. The calibre of these teams speaks for itself and that is why this is such an exciting week with us being able to play both of them in a matter of days."
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