Manchester City vs Real Madrid
UEFA Champions League
Date: Tuesday, 25 April 2022
Kick-off at 20:00 UK/ 21:00 CET
Venue : Etihad .
The first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals between Manchester City and Real Madrid will take place at the Etihad Stadium this week.
Fans will be waiting with bated breath for the intriguing semi-finals that take off this midweek as we enter the last part of the UEFA Champions League campaign in 2021/22.
Opening up, Premier League leaders Manchester City will face La Liga champions-elect Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night in the first leg of their final-four tie.
Manchester City made it thus far in the competition after winning four games and losing two in a difficult Group A that comprised PSG, RB Leipzig, and Club Brugge.
Pep Guardiola’s team breezed past Sporting CP in the Round of 16 before being pushed to the limit by Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals, winning 1-0 on aggregate.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, came out on top of Group D, beating Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Sheriff Tiraspol.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side then staged a spectacular comeback to beat PSG in the Round of 16 before facing Chelsea in the quarter-finals and edging their way into the final four on aggregate.
After losing their previous game, both Manchester City and Real Madrid have won their last two.
It will be a thrilling match between two teams led by two of the game’s most successful managers.
The Hard Tackle examines how the Premier League and La Liga leaders will line up at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Head to head :
- The latest encounter had ended in a 2-1 win for Guardiola’s men.
- They are on a three-fixture winning streak.
- They had scored a total of eight goals in the process.
- It’s been six years since they have lost against this opponent.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Prediction :
Manchester City is a tough opponent, but Liverpool showed Real Madrid the way earlier this month when they drew with Pep Guardiola’s side in the Premier League before upsetting them in the FA Cup semi-finals.
The Citizens have bounced back from their loss with victories against Brighton and Watford.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team, on the other hand, will want to follow Liverpool’s lead and have the tools to hit their opponents where it hurts.
Real Madrid should be able to come away with a positive result from the Etihad, even if it is not an outright victory, given that they have already faced two major challenges in Europe from PSG and Chelsea.
Given their pedigree in the competition, Real Madrid should be able to come away with a positive result from the Etihad, even if it is not an outright victory.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Team News :
While all players with one or two yellow cards have had their penalties removed, City will be without Joao Cancelo for the opening leg after the Portuguese picked up his third warning of the competition at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Guardiola will be anxious to bring Kyle Walker back from an ankle injury in time for Tuesday’s match – the Catalan coach claims the right-back is “much, much better.”
Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Riyad Mahrez are all expected to return to the first team this week, but Jesus has given Guardiola enough to think about by scoring four goals on Saturday in response to reports of a move away.
While Real Madrid have no suspension concerns for the first leg due to Eder Militao’s return from a suspension he served in the home loss to Chelsea, Ancelotti’s injury fears are growing after David Alaba was pulled off against Osasuna with a thigh ailment.
The defender was limited to indoor work on Saturday alongside Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, and Mariano Diaz, all of whom are expected to miss out, but Alaba has been called up to the team alongside Casemiro and Ferland Mendy and could see some action today.
Luka Modric was rested totally in the win over Osasuna, but he’ll be back in midfield alongside Toni Kroos, and Marcelo should be well enough to fill in for Mendy at left-back if necessary.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Marcelo; Kroos, Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Junior
