Real Madrid vs Manchester City has gained quite a momentum while the two giants in world Football will go head to head against each other in the Champions League Semi-final in Santiago Bernabeu.
While these two have met before also in the Champions League in 2022, that incredible game which saw Real Madrid take away victory from Manchester City in the last moments of the game.
Manchester City might look to stop Madrid from making those types of comebacks as the second leg is going to be played in the Etihad this time, given if Manchester City can take the Lead against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City - What has been said?
Surely the hottest things that have been said by former players and pundits come from Wayne Rooney. A United legend has virtually backed Manchester City against Real Madrid going on with his statement "Manchester City will not defeat Real Madrid they will blow them away.".
Obviously, Rooney's statement has caused quite a stir not only in Madrid but also in England itself.
With United, fans are confused about his statement which openly supports its main city rival. Rooney has altogether 390 appearances for Manchester United from 2004-2017.
Although some of the players have talked about potential revenge against Real Madrid for what they did against them the previous year, among them Bernardo Silva was quoted saying “This season they have already beaten Liverpool and Chelsea, so it’s not going to be an easy task. But we have a goal of wanting to beat them this time, knowing that last year we lost in very tough circumstances.
Other players like Rodri insist there are chances for revenge against Madrid He was quoted saying
"We will have the chance for revenge,” the midfielder said. “We have the philosophy that you can learn from past experiences. We did 180 minutes of brilliance but it wasn’t enough. The last minutes in that second leg … we didn’t handle it the right way".
While Pep sees this match as another opportunity or a game.
While Madrid's players like Toni Kroos have commented on the qualities of a player like Haaland being the most dangerous player and also plans on stopping him from scoring.
How can the match build up?
Manchester City is known for playing Attacking football. The city will never sit back and just defend without the ball. This has been a trait Manchester City's trait after Pep Guardiola has taken over the Manchester Outfit.
We can expect Manchester City to dominate possession during the game as Pep's team might go for the maximum attack against Madrid's defence.
Eder Militao has been suspended for this match after picking up a yellow during the Chelsea game. Eder Militao had been rock solid in the defence for Real Madrid all season surely Pep will keep notice of that and might want to attack more through the middle.
Attacking through the middle also has been very crucial for Manchester City this season as Haaland who is a Center Striker for City operates from there and a player like Kevin DeBrune plays right behind him. We have seen numerous times Kevin DeBrune completing spectacular passes through the middle for Haaland.
Whereas Madrid might just look to soak up the pressure which they are absolutely good. Madrid is a very versatile team. It can dominate possession if they want, it can play on counters, it can play Long balls perfectly, and most importantly it can sit back and defend.
It is hard to predict which Madrid will turn up. Mostly against the bigger teams, Real Madrid is often seen back-defending and attacking counters. With winger like Vinicius Junior and Benzema Real Madrid are very ruthless when it comes to counter.
Against City, they might just opt for sitting back and soaking up the pressure and attacking City on the counters. Ancelotti can unleash Vinicius' pace on Manchester City's defence.
Predicted Lineup -
There is no doubt for a fixture of this magnitude both managers will be looking for an absolute best 11 for the match.
With the exception of some players like Nathen Ake who is said to be injured in that fixture against Leeds United and the absence of Eder Militao for a suspension might be a factor in choosing the best 11 for the team.
Real Madrid which won the Copa Del Rey against Osasuna might be starting against Manchester City.
With Manchester City winning streak in Premier League this season Pep might feature the same team the one that played against Leeds United
The match looks to heat up as both the teams aspire to become the Champions of Europe's most Elite club football prize. Real Madrid is going for their 15th Champions League title whereas City are looking for their 1st Champions League title having come agonizing close in 2021.
Comentarios