Pep Guardiola’s side are still keeping Liverpool at bay in the Premier League but they will now have to shift their focus to the Champions League for the Man City vs Real Madrid tie.
City are one of the favourites to win the UCL this season but Real Madrid have knocked out some of the giants in the previous rounds so this one is going to be a very evenly matched content.
The Cityzens go into this game at the back of a smashing win against Watford but Ancelotti’s side are a totally different beast so apart from confidence, Guardiola won’t be taking anything else into their midweek clash.
Manchester City have a few injury concerns going into this match but their manager should not have any problem in naming a strong side on Tuesday night. The first leg of the semi-final will be played at the Etihad Stadium and since there are no away goals rule, there should be no massive advantage to either of the two sides – unless a team wins with a very big margin.
Injury updates:
Manchester City
Kyle Walker is a major doubt for the Man City vs Real Madrid tie and last week, Guardiola had admitted that the right-back’s selection on Tuesday will be a late call.
The manager had said before the Watford tie: “Walker will not be ready for tomorrow. He’s much, much better. We’ll see on Tuesday if he has time.”
John Stones also missed the Watford game with a muscle injury and the central defender will also be touch and go for the Man City vs Real Madrid game.
Apart from these two injuries, Pep Guardiola has a fully fit squad.
Real Madrid:
Carlo Ancelotti are expected to miss several key players and this is going to be a major headache for the Real Madrid manager.
The first and biggest concern will be the injury to David Alaba which he suffered this past weekend. Reports in Spain are suggesting that the centre-back is likely to miss Tuesday’s match.
Ancelotti said, after the Osasuna match: “We are optimistic with [David] Alaba. He had a strain, we took him off as a precaution.”
Apart from Alaba, Casemiro is also a doubt with a thigh injury while Marcelos is going to miss out with a muscle problem.
Luka Modric was rested for the weekend’s game but the midfielder will be back for the Man City vs Real Madrid game.
David Alaba, Casemiro and Marcelo are the most important players who are doubts for the trip to Manchester. Others like Gareth Bale, Ferland Mendy and Marino are also recovering from knocks but they should be fit in time.
Man City vs Real Madrid Kick-off details:
Timing: Wed, Apr 27 2022 at 20:00 BST
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Referee: Istvan Kovacs
How to watch:
UK: TalkSport Radio UK, BT Sport 2, BT Sport Ultimate, BBC Radio 5 Live, BT Sport App, BTSport.com
USA: Univision NOW, Paramount+, CBS, TUDN USA, Univision, TUDNxtra, TUDN App, TUDN.com
Spain: Movistar+, Movistar Liga de Campeones
India: JioTV, Sony LIV
Prediction:
Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
Man City vs Real Madrid odds:
Man City to win: 1.5
Draw: 4.5
Real Madrid to win: 6
