Manchester City and Real Madrid will play the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal at the Etihad on Wednesday night after the first leg lived up to the excitement and then some.
Man City vs. Real Madrid matches in the Spanish capital almost always live up to the hype leading up to the match.
The first leg of the match last week was no exception, with a slow effort from Rodrygo and an own goal from Ruben Dias canceling out Bernardo Silva’s explosive free kick in an intense first fifteen minutes.
The tide turned again thanks to two more outstanding goals from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol, but Carlo Ancelotti’s team had one more move up their sleeves that could have been the most shocking of the evening: Federico Valverde’s beautiful volley to round off a six-goal spectacular.
Real Madrid has a 15-game winning streak without a loss, which is still impressive. The 14-time Champions League winners have some Mancunian history on their side going into Wednesday’s midweek trip to the north of England. Their hosts’ unbeaten run may not be as impressive as theirs.
In fact, the visitors have only advanced from two of their previous ten Champions League matches when they have lost the first leg—those two instances occurring against Manchester United in 1999–00 and 2012–13.
That might not matter much, though, against the Red Devils’ boisterous neighbors at a venue where they were destroyed 4-0 the previous season.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Match Details
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024
Time: 12:30 AM IST
Location: Etihad Stadium
TV: Sony Ten Network (India)
Live Stream: Sony LIV
Lineup Prediction
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Doku
Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Lunin; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr
Fantasy XI
Goalkeeper – Ederson
Defenders – Carvajal, Walker, Rudiger, Stones
Midfielders – De Bruyne, Bellingham, Silva
Attackers – Rodrygo, Haaland, Vini Jr.
