On Tuesday, Manchester City will aim to move one step closer to their second successive Champions League final when they welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of their semi-final.
Meanwhile, Los Blancos will be looking to reach a record 17th European Cup/Champions League final and add a 14th crown to their remarkable collection.
☀️☕ Good morning, #RMFans!📌 #RMCity pic.twitter.com/apJZAMfpmI— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 25, 2022
☀️☕ Good morning, #RMFans!📌 #RMCity pic.twitter.com/apJZAMfpmI
Can Pep Guardiola’s side finally break their Champions League hoodoo? Or will Real Madrid make it to yet another final? It’s time to take a closer look at the teams.
Man City prepared for the first leg with a 5-1 thrashing of Watford. Gabriel Jesus netted four of the goals on Saturday, while Rodri completed the scoring.
The Cityzens have now lost just one of their previous 13 outings across all competitions – and that defeat came against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-finals.
In the Champions League, Guardiola’s men scored a whopping 18 goals in six games on their way to finishing atop Group A – ahead of PSG, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge.
They then secured a 5-0 aggregate victory over Sporting in the round of 16 before edging out Atletico Madrid 1-0 in what proved to be a grueling quarter-final clash.
On the flip side, Real Madrid best Osasuna 3-1 last time out – thanks to goals from David Alaba, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez.
As a result, Los Blancos have won now ten of their past 12 matches in all competitions – suffering just two defeats along the way.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have all but wrapped up the La Liga title. Having lost only three of their 33 league games, they find themselves miles clear of the chasing pack in Spain’s top flight.
Now, they must turn to their attention to the Champions League. After seeing off PSG (3-2) and Chelsea (5-4) in the knockout phase, they will be confident of frustrating Man City.
Head-to-head: Man City and Real Madrid have faced each other on six occasions in the Champions League. Both sides won two games, while the other two ended in a draw.
It is also worth noting that only one of the six meetings ended goalless, while four encounters produced over 1.5 goals.
Team news: There are question marks over the fitness of Man City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones ahead of the first leg.
Real Madrid’s lengthy injury list includes Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy, Marcelo, Casemiro, Mariano Diaz and Gareth Bale.
This is destined to be a close-fought battle between two world-class sides. However, Man City are likely to have the edge on home soil.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Man City will claim a narrow win on Tuesday. The hosts are also expected to keep a clean sheet.