Real Madrid beat Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and now in the semis, they will face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The first leg will be played at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be heading into this game with a lot of confidence under their belt because they beat Thomas Tuchel’s side in the previous round and on top of that, they have more or less secured the La Liga title as well.
Madrid goes into this game at the back of four wins in five across all competitions but surprisingly, the Spanish giants have won only one game out of the previous six games against English opposition in the Champions League.
On paper, the semi-final will be very evenly balanced but in practicality, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are slightly behind their opponents. Not only do Man City play the better brand of football but Guardiola has an almost full squad to choose from on Tuesday. Combining these two factors and things could get really difficult for the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid’s team news vs Manchester City:
The Real Madrid manager is dealing with a long list of injuries and David Alaba’s name was added to it this past weekend. The central defender picked up a knock during the Osasuna game and had to be taken off at halftime.
Just Real. pic.twitter.com/WW6z8sfIyU
— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) April 17, 2022
Alaba is now facing a race against time to feature at the Etihad Stadium and if he is not ready then Real Madrid are in deep trouble. His natural backup is Nacho and he is certainly not good enough to face players like Foden and Jack Grealish.
Casemiro is another significant injury doubt since he’s recovering from a thigh injury and he too will be a late call for the 1st leg.
Luka Modric was rested against Osasuna on Wednesday night so he will be properly fit and recharged for this all-important tie.
Players like Gareth Bale and Mariano Diaz are also recovering from knocks but they should be fit in time to make it to the bench this weekend.
Eder Militao missed the 2nd leg vs Chelsea due to suspension but he will be back in action this week and this is a major boost for the Real Madrid manager.
UPDATE:
David Alaba has returned to the training pitch on Monday where he took part in full training and now there’s a big possibility that he will be fit to face Manchester City on Tuesday.
🚨| David Alaba is back on the pitch! pic.twitter.com/Oa278l9v37
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) April 24, 2022
Real Madrid predicted line up vs Manchester City:
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois.
Defenders: Militao, Carvajal, David Alaba, Mendy.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos.
Attackers: Vinicius Junior, Benzema, Valverde.
