With the Premier League hugely in their favour now after Arsenal slipping, Manchester City have nothing on their mind but advancing to the Champions League final.
To do that, they will have to first beat defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday night in the semifinal second leg at Etihad Stadium.
The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu ended in a 1-all draw after each side scored a brilliant goal but Manchester City hope to use their home advantage, among other things, to triumph over Madrid.
Man City come into this match with a red-hot form. They have gone 22 games unbeaten in all competitions and have a strong home record as well, going 15 matches unbeaten at the Etihad Stadium where they’ve scored at least twice in 14 out of those 15.
The last time City lost a home Champions League match was in September 2018 so Carlo Ancelotti’s men will have to work harder if they want to progress. Los Blancos have won the Champions League a record 14 times and some of these triumphs have come after winning semi-finals on the road.
Having already lost the Spanish La Liga this season to rivals Barcelona, the wide consensus is that Real Madrid prioritized the Champions League this campaign so City should be aware that they mean business.
Both clubs come into this fixture after registering domestic wins; Real Madrid winning 1-0 against Getafe while Pep Guardiola’s men dispatched Everton 3-0.
This match is evenly matched. The two teams have met nine times. Madrid have won thrice, City as many, and the rest draws. However, Real Madrid have scored a goal more than Manchester City’s 13 in this tie.
Guardiola told reporters in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday that they will give everything in the match to record a win.
“We know how important it is tomorrow, maybe one of the most important ones. We can’t deny that but I said to the players enjoy the moment, how fortunate we are, how incredibly lucky we are to be here. We’ll do everything, give everything.”
Team news
Nathan Ake is unavailable for Manchester City while everyone else is available.
Real Madrid’s long-term absentee Ferland Mendy is finally available as he completed 45 minutes against Getafe over the weekend.
There was worry about Eduardo Camavinga but the good news is he is fit and has travelled with the squad. No other injury worries for Real Madrid.
