Reigning champions Real Madrid will look to take advantage of their aggregate lead and progress to the last 16 of the Champions League when they welcome Manchester City in a crunch second leg of the playoffs on Wednesday.
Los Blancos produced an extraordinary turnaround in the first leg to edge out Manchester City 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium, thus putting one foot in the next round.
However, their La Liga woes continued when they suffered a 1-1 draw against Osasuna over the weekend, which marked their third game without a win on the trot. The game was marked by Jude Bellingham’s controversial red card before half-time for his dissent with the referee, with Ante Budimir going on to equalise from the penalty spot to cancel out Kylian Mbappe’s early strike.
Moreover, Real Madrid’s lapses have changed the complexion of the title race, with Barcelona leapfrogging them after their hard-fought win over Vallecano.
Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will put these struggles aside and quickly shift their focus towards the crucial UCL tie against the Sky Blues. In addition to the lead on aggregate, the Spanish giants would fancy themselves to come out on top again, given their pedigree in Europe’s flagship competition.
Meanwhile, many things are at stake for Pep Guardiola’s men as they aim to turn the tide around and script a huge comeback at Santiago Bernabeu.
As has been the case throughout this season, Manchester City lost their bearings during the defeat against Real Madrid in the 1st leg after squandering the lead twice.
However, the Cityzens will be brimming with confidence following their emphatic win against Newcastle United over the weekend, with new signing Omar Marmoush the headline act with a stellar hat-trick. Guardiola’s men will be hoping the victory could serve as a springboard for the blockbuster clash at the Bernabeu as they aim to topple Real Madrid with a swashbuckling comeback.
Team News
Real Madrid’s injury list hasn’t changed much for the game against Manchester City, except for the potential return of David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger, which would boost the club’s defensive options.
While it might be too early for Alaba to make his way into the starting line-up, Rudiger has a great chance to regain the starting berth.
As for Manchester City, they could be boosted by the potential return of defensive duo Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias, but Manuel Akanji is ruled out with a thigh injury. Pep Guardiola has also shrugged off major concerns over Grealish’s injury, though the English forward is doubtful to feature against Real Madrid.
Omar Marmoush might also nail down a place in the starting XI following his magnificent display against Newcastle.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Possible Line-ups
Predicted Real Madrid Playing XI (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe
Predicted Manchester City XI (4-2-3-1): Ederson, Rico Lewis, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol. Mateo Kovacic, John Stones, Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Erling Haaland
Key Battles
Haaland vs Rudiger
Considering Antonio Rudiger is fit for the game against Manchester City, the German will be straightaway put under immense pressure to deal with the threat of Erling Haaland, who gave a tough time to Real’s defenders in the 1st leg scoring a brace. The Norwegian striker holds the key to the Sky Blues’ chances and it remains to be seen whether Rudiger would be affected by any rustiness.
Mbappe vs Ruben Dias
In addition to Haaland, Ruben Dias’ mammoth performance was also overshadowed by the scoreline and City’s individualistic errors in the first leg. The Portuguese centre-back proved to be almost unbreachable, nullifying Real’s star-studded attack to an extent. With City expected to go all out in the second leg, they might tend to lose their defensive shape and become prone to turnovers. Los Blancos would look to exploit this potential pitfall, but Dias is also expected to rise to the occasion.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City- Where to watch?
United Kingdom:
Real Madrid vs Manchester City can be viewed on TNT Sports.
Prediction
Real Madrid 1- 3 Manchester City
