MY ACCOUNT
Manchester City came through their bruising Champions League encounter with Atletico Madrid and they should be confident of seeing off the city’s other inhabitants in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
Real Madrid are on the brink of sealing the title in Spain but have excelled in the role of underdogs in Europe this season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men staged a spectacular comeback to knock out Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 before a dramatic 5-4 aggregate win over Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
Real have benefited from some lucky breaks, as well as the razor-sharp finishing of striker Karim Benzema, in the past two rounds but they will need to up their game against the Premier League champions.
Team news
Real welcome back influential Brazilian centre-back Eder Militao, who was suspended for the second leg of their tie against Chelsea, but they have major fitness doubts over two more key players.
Militao’s defensive partner David Alaba and fellow Brazil international Casemiro are in Manchester but both are struggling, so Nacho and Eduardo Camavinga could be called into Carlo Ancelotti’s starting XI.
Forwards Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz have not made the party but left-back Ferland Mendy should be fit enough to start.
City boss Pep Guardiola also has some issues in defence as Joao Cancelo is suspended and John Stones is still working his way back from injury.
Experienced England international Kyle Walker should return at right-back while Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, two of Guardiola’s preferred attacking options in Europe, are set to start.
Match stats and facts
City are short-priced favourites to take a first-leg lead at the Etihad Stadium and they won 2-1 in both legs of their last Champions League meeting with Real at the last-16 stage of the 2019-20 competition.
Guardiola’s men have an imposing home record in Europe over the past two campaigns, winning 10 of their last 11 matches on their own patch.
The only game they failed to triumph in was this season’s last-16 second leg when they drew 0-0 with Sporting, having already secured a thumping 5-0 first-leg victory in Portugal.
City’s group-stage wins over RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and PSG this season featured 17 goals but their clash with Real could be tighter.
Only one of Real’s last 10 away matches in Europe has featured goals at both ends — the 3-1 win at Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final. Meanwhile, City’s most recent tie against Atletico produced just one goal, scored by Kevin De Bruyne in the 70th minute of the first leg in Manchester.
However, France striker Benzema, 34, is enjoying the best season of his career and he poses an obvious threat to the City defence.
The Real man scored hat-tricks in the second leg of the last 16 against PSG and the first leg of the quarter-final at Stamford Bridge before taking his Champions League tally for the season to 12 goals with the extra-time winner against the Blues.
That puts him just one behind eliminated Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Golden Boot.
City, meanwhile, have shared the goals around in Europe this term and Mahrez is their leading scorer with six.
One statistical nugget that might interest the prolific Benzema is that a France international has already claimed a Champions League hat-trick against City at the Etihad this season.
Christopher Nkunku netted all three of Leipzig’s goals in their 6-3 defeat on matchday one of the group stage.
Predictions
Real have some brilliant individuals in their ranks, with Benzema, Vinicius Junior and veteran playmaker Luka Modric starring on their run to the last four — but City have developed into a relentless winning machine under Guardiola.
The Citizens showed great defensive discipline in the 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico and they should be too strong for Real, especially if Alaba and Casemiro are ruled out.
City may have to be patient, however.
PSG needed a 94th-minute moment of magic from Kylian Mbappe to earn a 1-0 first-leg win in their last-16 tie with Real, who failed to muster a shot on target at the Parc des Princes.
Stifling the home side may be the priority for Ancelotti’s visitors but that is easier said than done and City should carve out a decent first-leg lead with the 2-0 home win looking a likely correct score.
