Manchester City travel to Real Madrid for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie and will aim at securing another favorable result against Carol Ancelotti's men. The Citizen are 90 minutes away from reaching their second consecutive final in the European club competition but their one-goal lead from a tense first leg at the Etihad means the tie is still far from over.
A Champions League classic was birthed when the pair clashed in Manchester last week, with the seven-goal thriller ending 4-3 in favor of the Premier League outfit. Los Blancos, although being pushed back several times, continued getting back into the game to guarantee they remained in the tie. Kevin De Bruyne gave City the lead only 94 seconds into the first leg, the fastest goal in a UEFA Champions League semi-final, and Madrid conceded again in the 11th minute, this time to Gabriel Jesus.
In the 33rd minute Karim Benzema pulled one goal back for the visitors but Phil Foden restored the two-goal advantage just eight minutes after the break. Vinicius Jr's sensational solo goal kept the Spanish club in the tie once more. Man City regained their advantage once more thanks to Bernardo Silva's 74th-minute strike but Benzema reduced the deficit to just one once again by scoring from the penalty spot.
Over the weekend, Pep Guardiola's men warmed up for the encounter with an emphatic 4-0 win over Leeds to maintain their lead on the Premier League table while Real Madrid secured the La Liga title by managing the same scoreline against Espanyol at home. With a reputation to pull off comebacks, Carlo Ancelotti's men are expected to ruin the dream of Pep Guardiola's side once more with another final clash with Liverpool a possibility.
On the contrary, the Citizens will relish the prospect of going toe-to-toe with their newly-found nemesis in the Premier League by looking for at least a draw to seal their fate.
Key Stats
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Manchester City have won their last three Champions League matches against Real Madrid. Only two teams have ever won four in a row against Los Blancos in European competitions – Ajax (between 1973 and 1975) and Bayern Munich (between 2000 and 2002).
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Real Madrid have been eliminated in all five previous UEFA Champions League semi-finals when they have lost the first leg. However, they have progressed from two of their last three knockout ties when losing the first leg.
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Manchester City have progressed in nine of the previous ten Champions League two-legged knockout ties when they have come out on top in the first leg.
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Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has created 28 chances from open play in the UEFA Champions League this season. It is the most in the competition by a player since Dusan Tadic in 2018/19 (36).
Predicted starting XI
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Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
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Manchester City: Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Foden.
Broadcast information
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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