Ederson Moraes Man City news
Ederson Moraes Man City

Man City are bulldozing through their opponents in the Premier League but they will face their most stringent test of the season when they take on Real Madrid.

The two European giants face off in the semi-final of the Champions League, the first leg of which will be played at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.

The last time these two sides met was at the same stage last season and it was Madrid who won that two-legged tie 6-5 so Man City will have revenge on their minds when they head to Spain. These two teams have a very identical head-to-head record with both sides winning four games apiece while two of the encounters have ended in draws.

Manchester City go into the first leg at the back of a superb run of form and they are unbeaten in their previous 20 appearances across all competitions. The last time Pep Guardiola’s side lost a game was in the first week of February when they went down 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur.

Based on form, Man City will be the favourites to progress to the next round but Real Madrid are the true Champions League heavyweights so there’s no way we are writing them off until the last minute of both legs have been played.

Manchester City’s team news and injuries:

Man City suffered a fresh blow with Nathan Ake picking up an injury during the Leeds United match and he’s now a major doubt for the first leg on Tuesday.

Nathan Ake has been a top player ever since Joao Cancelo left the club and if he is missing then it will be a bit of a tactical headache for Pep Guardiola. Ake was seen with ice on his leg which means he has picked up a hamstring injury and this gives him very little time to become fully fit.

If Ake is not ready then Manuel Akanji will have to move to the left-hand side to accommodate Kyle Walker who is going to play on the right.

The Man City boss rested several first-team regulars in the 2-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday but they will all return to the starting line up in midweek. Players like John Stones, Rodri and Jack Grealish will all come into the side.

Riyad Mahrez was one of the stars of the show vs Leeds but that won’t be enough for him to get a start against Real Madrid. Silva has been playing on the right wing for most of the season and he is going to replace Mahrez on Tuesday.

Pep is known to deploy unconventional tactics in crucial matches but he’s resisted this trait so far this season. However, since Madrid have the ability to tear down any defence so it will not be a total surprise if the Man City boss tries to do something quirky.

Man City predicted line up vs Real Madrid:

Predicted Starting line up(3-2-4-1): Ederson; Ruben Dias, Ake/Walker, Akanji; Rodri, John Stones; Grealish, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva; Haaland.

Man City predicted line up vs Real Madrid - Champions League 22/23