MANCHESTER CITY must dethrone Spanish giants Real Madrid in order to win their first-ever Champions League title.
The Cityzens will take on Los Blancos at the Bernabeu in the first leg of their colossal Champions League semi-final TONIGHT.
Pep Guardiola’s side comfortably got past German champions Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last month.
Man City have a fantastic chance to secure a historic treble this campaign after an unbelievable showing in all competitions.
As for Real Madrid, they dismantled 2021 Champions League winners Chelsea over two legs to progress to the semi-finals.
Los Blancos will be giving it their all to make it back-to-back triumphs in Europe’s elite competition, as domestic rivals Barcelona are almost certainly going to be crowned La Liga champions.
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Revenge for City
The tie is a rematch of last year’s semi-final when City left the Bernabeu heartbroken after letting a place in the final slip through their grasp.
City had been leading 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate heading into stoppage time when they suddenly capitulated and conceded twice. Real went on to win in extra time.
Pep Guardiola’s men will certainly hope revenge is in the air and they will want to use the fact the home leg comes second this time to their advantage.
Momentum with City in treble chase
City certainly approach the match in form having hit their stride over the last three months.
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They are unbeaten in 20 matches – 17 of which they have won – and have a strong chance of winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Arguably, the Spanish giants are the toughest obstacle left to clear as they look to win the treble.
Copa del Rey joy for Madrid
Real’s form is more difficult to assess. With the LaLiga title seemingly out of reach, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have lost two of their last three league matches, suggesting the wily Italian has been prioritising other fixtures.
Those would be Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Osasuna, which they won 2-1, and the two City encounters over the coming week.
Their triumph at the weekend, secured after two goals from Rodrygo, should certainly have raised confidence levels.
Haaland the missing piece
Erling Haaland has been a sensation for City this season, scoring 51 goals in all competitions and with the high likelihood of more to come.
After years of near misses in the Champions League, City are hoping the prolific Norwegian is the last piece of the jigsaw as they look to finally land the big prize.
He has revelled in Europe, not least when he fired five past RB Leipzig in the last 16 and then struck in both quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich. All eyes will be on him to see if he can deliver at the Bernabeu.
Bellingham reports
Cynics would suggest there is little coincidence over the timing of recent reports from Spain that the much-coveted Jude Bellingham is set to join Real in the summer.
The England midfielder is widely expected to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and Manchester City were reportedly among the interested parties.
Whether the development would actually unsettle an outfit as composed as Guardiola’s City is debatable, but it certainly adds to the pre-match hype.
Team news
Kevin de Bruyne returned to the Manchester City starting line-up on the weekend and played the whole 90 minutes.
Nathan Ake had recently returned from an ankle injury to face Leeds on the weekend, but the Dutchman went down early in the second half and was withdrawn, making him a doubt for Tuesday.
For Real Madrid, they will be without the services of French left-back Ferland Mendy who is out of action with a calf injury.
First-choice centre-back Eder Militao is unavailable for the first leg due to suspension after picking up his third booking in the Champions League against Chelsea.
Luka Modric is a fighting to be fit after he came off the bench in Saturday’s Copa del Rey final victory over Osasuna after two games out.
Aurelien Tchouameni will start in the 37-year-old’s place should his eight-minute run out deemed not enough to prove his ability to drop straight into the line-up for such an important game.
Real will definitely be without reserve midfielder Dani Ceballos due to a thigh muscle injury.
When is Real Madrid vs Man City?
- Real Madrid vs Man City will take place TONIGHT, Tuesday, May 9th.
- Kick off will be at 8pm GMT.
- The Santiago Bernabeu will play host.
What channel is Real Madrid vs Man City on and can it be live streamed?
- Real Madrid vs Man City will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1.
- BT Sport customers can live stream all the action via the FREE BT Sport app which is available to download onto your mobile or tablet device.
- Alternatively, you can keep up to date with all the latest from the Bernabeu with SunSport’s live blog.
Odds
Match result:
- Read Madrid – 11/5
- Draw – 5/2
- Man City – 11/10
To qualify:
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- Real Madrid – 2/1
- Man City – 4/11
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
