UEFA Champions League record winners Real Madrid will host Manchester City in the first leg of the competition’s semi-final on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu in what promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of Europe’s top teams.
Both sides have been in excellent form in the Champions League this season, with Real Madrid eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool while Manchester City eliminated PSG and Bayern Munich to get to this stage.
Madrid bagged the Copa del Rey trophy over the weekend and will want to use the player’s high spirits to put up a good performance against a Manchester City side that is still fighting for a treble where they are already in the FA Cup final and are currently leading the Premier League.
This match is as big as it gets. It will feature some of the best players in the world such as Karim Benzema and in-form Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, as well as Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
Real Madrid are record winners of the Champions League so they know what it takes and what needs to be done in such games while Man City are trying to make it to only their second Champions League final even though their manager Pep Guardiola won the trophy twice with FC Barcelona several years ago.
While speaking to the media this evening Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti who has won the Champions League four times, said the match is going to be a tough one and doesn’t think the tie will be decided in the first leg.
“It’s going to be a tough match. We got to try to play to our full potential, be fully motivated mentally and physically alert. But I think the tie will be decided in the return leg We want to hopefully take a good result back.” Ancelotti told reporters.
This is definitely going to be a fascinating clash of styles and tactics, as Ancelotti’s team rely on their experience and solidity, while Manchester City play with flair and creativity.
Team news
Real Madrid will miss the services of Eder Militao who is suspended for this tie, as well as injury-prone Ferland Mendy who’s had a calf problem for the bigger part of the season.
The good news is that midfield maestro Luka Modric is back in contention having come off the bench to play a part in Madrid’s trophy win over the weekend. Everybody else is available for selection.
For Manchester City, there is fitness concern for Nathan Ake, who was forced off in their 2-1 win against Leeds over the weekend, but that’s all the concern they have.
The quartet of Rodri, John Stones, Benardo Silva and Jack Grealish who were rested over the weekend all expected to return with fresh legs for this encounter.
