Following one of the best Champions League semifinals in recent seasons, Real Madrid and Man City renew acquaintances for the return leg this Wednesday. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.
The Cityzens' narrow win in Manchester was their third win on the bounce against Real Madrid in European competition. As such, City only needs to keep this unbeaten run intact for them to secure progression to the final for the second season in a row. Would they manage to achieve this feat ?
Top quality football on the cards
Real Madrid, through Benzema and Vinicius, made sure to keep the tie alive as they welcome the Cityzens to the Santiago Bernabeu. Heading into this game, they would surely be buoyed by their 4-0 success against Espanyol over the weekend, thus, confirming their status as the 2021/2022 LaLiga Champions- their 35th LaLiga Santander crown. As such, a domestic and continental double is on the horizon for Ancelotti and Co. who have proved that they know how to win games, particularly in the UEFA Champions League. Only Barcelona, Chelsea and Sheriff Tiraspol- in what was a shocking event- have bettered Real Madrid at home this season and as such, the Cityzens certainly do have their work cut out for them.
Pep Guardiola's side outplayed their opponents in the first leg but their profligacy in front of the goal means there's still work to do come the second leg. Nonetheless, they still managed to pull off a splendid 4-3 victory courtesy of goals from Bernardo, Jesus, Foden and Bernardo Silva. Unlike their opponents, they still have a league title to fight for and they did well to make sure that their destiny is in their own hands when they visited Elland Road to take on Leeds United over the weekend. Another spectacular performance, which ended in a 4-0 victory, from Pep's charges sent them back to the summit of the league and extraordinarily, City have now scored 16 goals in their last four games in all competitions- not exactly the type of statistic that would sit right with the Real Madrid backline.
Real Madrid vs Man City Team News
Real Madrid possible starting XI:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Man City possible starting XI:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Foden
Real Madrid vs Man City Prediction: 2-2
We're expecting yet another goal-laden performance in the return leg given the depth of attacking talent on both sides. Real Madrid does know how to turn up the heat when they need to in the Champions League, however, the Cityzens are known to be hard to pin down. As such, we think they would do just about enough to secure a spot in the UFA Champions League final for the second straight season.