Man City will have to make more efforts in the second leg when they have the Etihad home field advantage.
Time: 02:00 on May 18
Courtyard: Etihad
Force situation:
Man City:
Nathan Ake is having a small health problem but is still racing against time to return in time. Pep Guardiola has put a number of pillars such as Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, John Stones and Bernardo Silva on the bench in Sunday’s match, so Man City will have the most powerful squad.
Real:
Ferland Mendy is back this week but it’s likely that coach Carlo Ancelotti will not risk using it. Karim Benzema, David Alaba and Rodrygo all had health problems and missed the match against Getafe. This trio is expected to return during their visit to the UK.
Recent performance:
Man City
In the last 6 matches in all competitions, Pep’s team won 4. Their only draw was in the first leg against Real Madrid away.
Real:
After having no chance of winning in La Liga, Real played moderately in the domestic league. That’s why they have lost to Girona and Real Sociedad in recent rounds. Broadly speaking, in the last 6 matches, the White Vulture only got 2 wins, the rest were 2 losses and was held once.
Head-to-head Achievements:
In the last 6 confrontations, Real only had 1 time to enjoy the joy of winning against Man City. On the other side of the battle line, Man City owns up to 4 victories. The two teams have held each other once.
Key players:
Man City:
After being rested, Kevin De Bruyne will be in full strength. He was the equalizer for Man City in the first leg with a kick from the left. Man City fans desperately need De Bruyne to shine once more in the second leg so that the home team can fill in the final.
Real:
Undoubtedly, the player who is in the best form of the visitors is Vinicius. He tormented the defense of Man City for 90 minutes with his speed and slick dribbling ability. If there is no specific plan to prevent the Brazilian player, it is likely that Man City will have to hold a grudge.
Expected starting lineup:
Man City (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Ruben Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haland.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Ruediger, Alaba; Modric, Kroos, Camavinga; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius.
Forecast:
Man City have only 2 games that cannot be won in the last 18 matches. This top performance helps them have a high level of confidence when welcoming Real at home. However, Real is still a force in the Champions League. With a group of good players in hand, Ancelotti is expected to create many unexpected hits for Man City.
Maybe, this is a game with many goals and the two teams will no longer play as carefully as the first leg.
Score prediction: 2-1 (according to Whoscored)