Man City needed just one goal to get past a solid Atletico Madrid in the quarters while the Los Blancos overcame last year's champions Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate to enter the last four.
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Premier League leaders Manchester City will host La Liga champions-elect Real Madrid in the semi-final first leg tie of the Champions League on Tuesday night. Man City needed just one goal to get past a solid Atletico Madrid in the quarters while the Los Blancos overcame last year’s champions Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate to advance. Both sides are heading into the tie on the back of some dominant victories in their respective leagues and are not short of form and momentum.
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Semi-final time! ?
Who will win their first leg? ?♂️#UCL
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 25, 2022
Man City thrashed Watford 5-1 on Saturday. Gabriel Jusus scored four goals to lead his side to a dominant win at home. Meanwhile midfielder Rodri also got on the score-sheet with a stunning long-range effort.
Pep Guardiola’s side is normally known for their attacking, goal-scoring football with a lot of emphasis on keeping the ball possession. However, in the second leg of the last-8 stage, against Atletico, City displayed disciplined defensive play to protect a one goal lead from the first leg and go through to the next round.
Central defender John Stones was the hero of the match while his partner Aymeric Laporte and defensive midfielder Rodri also came up with solid performances to earn a goalless draw at Wanda Metropolitano.
Man City are undefeated at the Etihad in the champions League since a 2-1 loss to Lyon back in September 2018. Guardiola’s side has already found the back of the net 13 times in the five home matches in the tournament this season.
On the other hand, Real Madrid defeated Osasuna 3-1 in their last game on Thursday and needs just one more point to seal the La Liga santander. Goals from David Alaba, Marcos Asensio and Lucas Vazquez helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side get all three points at El Sadar.
Ancelotti has set up a lethal attacking unit which is capable of scoring goals for fun. In the first leg of the semi-final tie against the Blues at Stamford Bridge, Karim Benzema netted a hat-trick to take a 3-1 lead. The Frenchman is in the form of his life having scored 37 goals across all competitions, and 12 of those came in the champions League.
In the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu, Thomas Tuchel’s side came out all guns blazing and raced to a 3-0 lead inside 75 minutes. However, one of the passes of the season from Luka Modric allowed substitute Rodrygo to volley home and force the game into extra time, where Benzema’s header secured Madrid’s place in the last four.
Madrid enters the first leg on a six-game winning streak away from home across all competitions, scoring three goals in each of their last three away matches .
Man City will be without Joao Cancelo in the first leg, as the Portuguese picked up his third caution of the tournament at the Wanda Metropolitano. Kyle Walker might be back from an ankle issue which he sustained against Atletico in the second leg.
As for Real Madrid, centre-back Eder Militao is back from a ban served in the home loss to Chelsea. Meanwhile Alaba was taken off with a thigh issue against Osasuna and is doubtful for the City clash.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko, Rodri, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Jesus, Sterling.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Marcelo, Kroos, Camavinga, Modric, Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius.
The Champions League semi-final fixture between Manchester City vs Real Madrid will take place at the Etihad Stadium and it will kick-off at 12:30 am IST on Wednesday, April 27.
The match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website, and the JioTV mobile app. Meanwhile football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecasted on the Sony Ten network.
