The Champions League nights are back again, and Spanish giant Real Madrid are all set to take on defending champions Manchester City tonight to play the first leg of the quarterfinal at Santiago Bernabeu. It is the third successive time Real Madrid face Manchester City in the Champions League.
Last season, Manchester City humiliated Real Madrid in the semifinal, winning by a 5-1 aggregate. But City boss Pep Guardiola believes his task won’t be that easy this time as Real Madrid are desperate for the revenge.
“It is very difficult for the same thing to happen again. Beating Real Madrid twice in a row is impossible. They have learned and will want revenge. They have pride,” Pep Guardiola said in the press conference.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are very close to winning the La Liga this season. But their all focus is now on tonight’s match against Man City. As they will play the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu, the Los Blancos try their best to win it at any cost.
“The first leg is very important, because we’ve got the chance to play in our stadium and we should look to make the most of the small advantage we have,” Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said in front of the media.
Stats & Facts
- There have been 17 goals scored in the last four Champions League meetings between Man City and Real Madrid. Manchester City netted 10 goals, while Real Madrid scored 7.
- Man City lost only one of their last six games against Real Madrid in the Champions League, where they won four and tied the remaining one.
- Pep Guardiola had lost his first two meetings with Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti. Since then, Pep has lost only one of his last eight games against Ancelotti across all competitions.
- Manchester City have won all their last ten games in the Champions League – only Bayern Munich have a longer winning streak than Man City in this competition.
Team News
Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba are still injured and will miss the game against Man City. But Real Madrid are ready to welcome Eder Militao after he recovered from the ACL injury.
Vinicius Junior missed Real Madrid’s last game due to a suspension. However, he is eligible again to play for Madrid.
As for Man City, first-choice goalkeeper Ederson was injured and hasn’t played a game since March 10. As a result, Stefan Ortega played between the bars and kept two clean sheets in his last four games. Now Ederson has recovered and is ready to play, but Guardiola is not sure to keep him instead of Stefan Ortega. Additionally, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake will miss the game due to their respective injury.
Possible Lineup for Real Madrid:
Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo
Possible Lineup for Man City:
Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden
Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Man City
Last season, Man City didn’t trouble much to beat Real Madrid. But this time is different for the Los Blancos. Real Madrid have always been a giant in the Champions League, and as a home team, chances are very high that the Los Blancos could beat Man City tonight at Santiago Bernabeu.
Betfair Odds
Real Madrid: 2.75
Draw: 3.47
Man City: 2.62
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