Real Madrid vs Man City is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Tuesday 9 May, 2023 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, in the 1st leg semi-final tie.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City H2H and Stats
- Real Madrid and Manchester City are on an even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned and have won four games apiece out of the 10 matches that have been played between the two teams.
- Manchester City have won three of their last four matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League but did lose their last such game by a 3-1 margin at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- Manchester City defeated Real Madrid by a 2-1 margin at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2020 and could become the first English team to secure away wins at the stadium on multiple occasions.
- After losing only two of his first 15 matches against Real Madrid in all competitions, Pep Guardiola has lost three of his last six games against Los Blancos as a manager.
- Real Madrid have kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches in the UEFA Champions League and have not conceded a goal in their last 346 minutes in the competition.
MORE: Real Madrid vs Manchester City historical statistics
Team News
As mentioned, Real Madrid will be forced to work around the absence of Militao for the first leg due to suspension; the centre-back was cautioned for the third time in this season’s tournament during the second leg of the quarter-finals, after which players on one or two bookings had their yellow cards wiped.
Left-back Ferland Mendy is also struggling to recover from a calf problem and is expected to miss out too, but Luka Modric managed to play a part as a substitute in the Copa del Rey final after shaking off a hamstring concern, and the 37-year-old should be given the green light to start on Tuesday – music to the ears of Ancelotti and the Bernabeu faithful.
Aurelien Tchouameni could be the unlucky fulcrum to make way for Modric, while Antonio Rudiger will join forces with David Alaba at the back in place of Militao. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga – who can now proudly claim to have won every major trophy with Real Madrid at the tender age of 20 – should continue in his makeshift left-back role.
A defensive concern is also lingering in the mind of Guardiola, who lost Nathan Ake to an apparent hamstring issue with 54 minutes gone against Leeds, and fans are anxiously awaiting updates on the Dutchman’s condition. Cole Palmer’s ankle is also giving him grief, but the 21-year-old would never have started here.
In any case, Guardiola will be tempted to recall Kyle Walker to try to keep Vinicius Junior at bay, while a host of well-rested regulars in Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish are also primed to return to the first XI after Guardiola rang the changes at the weekend.
It was not Haaland’s day in front of goal at the weekend, but the 35-goal Norwegian – who also recently broke the single-season Premier League record with the same number – averages a goal every 58 minutes in the Champions League, unsurprisingly the best ratio in the history of the competition, and he will give his admirers plenty to think about on Tuesday.
Predicted lineups:
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Match Prediction for Real Madrid vs Manchester City
The first round of the Champions League semifinals between these two European heavyweights is expected to be fully action and tension-packed.
Real Madrid and Champions League nights have become sort of mythical in terms of how they perform on the biggest European stage. Their quality z ability and intangibles of winning a crucial knockout stage tie are probably unmatched, unlike any other side. Hence, they should be able to produce moments of genius to unnerve an amazing City side once again and pull off another famous UCL night.
