An historic european night beckons once again and one powerhouse faces a tsunami-like club in the UEFA Champions League as Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid smashed Chelsea over two legs by 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-final to progress into the Semi-final, while Manchester City humiliated Bayern Munich by 4-1 on aggregate to book their place in the next round.
Both sides faced off in the Semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League last season and Real Madrid came out victorious over two legs by 6-5.
Manchester City have regained their grip on the top of the Premier League table after usurping Arsenal.
Real Madrid picked up an additional trophy into their kitty after defeating Osasuna on Saturday by 2-1 to win the Copa Del Rey.
Rodrygo netted the opener for Los Blancos in the 2nd minute of proceedings before Torro scored the equalizer for Osasuna on the 58th minute, 20 minutes to the end of the clash, Rodrygo cemented the victory for his side.
For Manchester City, Ilkay Gundongan handed Pep Guardiola’s side the victory in their last clash against Leeds United although he received a furious reaction from Pep Guardiola for missing a penalty.
The penalty miss could have been regretted but thankfully for the Citizens, Leeds United could only halve the deficit through a goal from Rodrigo.
Real Madrid would be playing in their 32nd semi-final in the history of the competition while Manchester City would be making their fourth appearance ever and this certainly promises to be a cracker.
Teams News for Real Madrid
Militao would be unavailable for the first leg as a result of suspension, he was shown a yellow card for the third time in this season’s tournament during the second leg against Chelsea.
If he had gone the full game without a booking, he would have been available to play because players on one or two bookings would have had their yellow cards wiped according to the rules.
Ferland Mendy is also battling to get back from a calf issue and is expected to be absent from the game.
Luka Modric is expected to be back fully for this clash after the Croatian was involved as a substitute in their Copa Del Rey final victory.
Aurelien Tchouameni should probably make way for Modric to return to the starting 11 while Antonio Rudiger is expected to partner David Alaba at the back.
Eduardo Camavinga who has lifted every major trophy with Real Madrid at the young age of 20 is expected to continue being utilized at Left back.
Teams News for Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has an injury concern on his table as Nathan Ake was substituted on Saturday due to a supposed hamstring injury, fans are however waiting to get feedback regarding his wellbeing.
Kyle Walker should get a chance to play in this game as Guardiola looks to keep Vincius quiet for the entire duration of the game on Tuesday.
Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish are also in top shape to make a comeback to the starting eleven after Guardiola rejigged his side for the clash with Leeds United.
Record breaking forward and current top scorer in the 2022/23 UCL season, Erling Haaland is expected to start in attack for the Citizens against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid probable starting lineup:
Courtois, Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Rodrygo, Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
Manchester City probable starting lineup:
Ederson, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Stones, Rodri, Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish and Haaland.
Prediction:
It has always been a fiercely contested encounter whenever both sides meet and the last outing involving Manchester City and Real Madrid ended 5-6 in favor of the Spanish giants.
Note: Pep Guardiola has never defeated Carlo Ancelotti in the UEFA Champions League over two legs but his side should be all charged up to put a stern challenge against the defending champions.
However, Real Madrid should still take the first leg although by a slim margin of 3-2 against Manchester City.
