Rose: Real Madrid clash is the very stuff of dreams
The Canadian central defender and her City colleagues welcome the Spanish giants to the Joie Stadium for a huge European clash on Thursday night, kick-off 20.00 (UK).
It’s City’s second game on our return to the European stage following hard on the heels of last week’s fine 2-2 draw away at Bayern Munich in our 2026/27 UWCL opener.
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And addressing the media at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference, Rose said the chance to tackle such illustrious opposition was more than she could ever have imagined growing up as a child back in Canada.
“I think playing on the biggest stage is something I always dreamt of,” Rose said.
“Being completely honest, growing up in Canada I never really had the opportunity to watch the Champions League, especially the Women’s Champions League.
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“So it wasn’t something I necessarily grew up dreaming about.
“But once I knew it was a possibility, it was something that I definitely wanted to achieve.
“And the chance to play against such big names on the biggest stage is definitely a dream come true.”
Tomorrow’s match is followed just three days later by a huge Barclays Women’s Super League clash at the Etihad where Arsenal are the visitors.
But asked whether there was a question of seeking to balance priorities given the importance of both games, Rose insisted that all of City’s focus and energy was trained on the visit of Real.
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“It’s all about taking it one day at a time and not getting ahead of ourselves,” Rose added.
“Today training, tomorrow the match - then from there we focus on Arsenal.
“As a squad we are just taking things one day at a time.
“Getting a first three points is massive. At home we can focus on the crowd and it will be important to get those three points.”