Real Madrid vs Man City: UCL Semi-Final Leg 1 Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Santiago Bernabéu will witness another great night of the UEFA Champions League on 10th May for one of the most anticipated clashes of the season. 14 times Champions Real Madrid will host the mighty Manchester City for the 1st Semi-Final of the UCL 2022-23 season. The reigning champions put four goals in Chelsea's net over the two legs of their quarter-final to reach the last four, while Pep Guardiola's dangerous city got past Bayern Munich by a 4-1 aggregate scoreline. Bernabéu will host the 1st leg while Etihad will welcome Real Madrid on 17th May for the 2nd leg. Both the teams met in the Semi-Final last season also and Real Madrid got the better of Manchester City that time. What will the result be this time? Read the Match Preview of the Real Madrid vs Man City clash and let us know your predictions in the comments.

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Real Madrid vs Man City: UCL Semi-Final Leg 1 Match Preview

Match Details

• Match: Real Madrid vs Manchester City Semi-Final Leg 1
• Date: 10/05/2023, Time: 7:30 PM (IST); 09/05/2023, Time: 8:00 PM (BST); 09-05-2023, Time: 07:00 PM (GMT)
• Venue: Santiago Bernabéu
• Real Madrid form (All Competitions): W-L-W-L-W
• Manchester City form (All Competitions): W-W-W-W-W
• Where to watch: BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate, Jio TV & Sony Liv

Real Madrid vs Man City: Match Preview

Madrid, of course, beat City at this stage last year on their way to a 14th European crown in the most dramatic of fashions. Carlo Ancelotti's team are not the same in Europe as they are in the League. Something about this competition brings out the best in them, and that's the most interesting and unpredictable thing for the Los Blancos.

City are in a much better situation this year, especially in the last 10-15 games. They are looking invincible at the business end of the season. Manchester City were brilliant last season also but they didn't have the Machine. They have now and every team in Europe is in fear of him at this moment. He is Enjoying a remarkable debut campaign in England. Real Madrid on the other hand, live for the moments like this. We cannot just right off them from the Champions League because it is just their territory. So Definitely, it is going to be a very interesting clash.

Domestic Situations:

Real Madrid are currently in third place in the La Liga standings and they haven't been impressive so far this season. Real won La Liga last season and in comparison, it is not a great sign for them. Los Blancos have already lost the league to Barcelona and not Atleti ahead of them in the table. Although they edged Osasuna to a 2-1 victory in the Copa del Rey final over the weekend and will be confident ahead of the huge fixture.

Manchester City, on the other hand, are at the top of the Premier League table at the moment and have been exceptional in recent weeks. The Citizens edged Leeds United to a 2-1 victory in their previous game and will look to take it up a notch this week. Haaland has already broken Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's records to be the player with the most goals in a season of the Premier League. In short, Manchester City are on a different level right now. They are more efficient on the ball, more aggressive, more fluent in the midfield, and more dangerous to face this season.

Real Madrid vs Man City: Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Real Madrid and Manchester City are on an even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned. They have won four games out of the 10 matches that have been played between the two teams.
• Manchester City have won three of their last four matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League but did lose their last such game by a 3-1 margin at the Santiago Bernabeu.
• Manchester City defeated Real Madrid by a 2-1 margin at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2020. They could become the first English team to secure away wins at the stadium on multiple occasions.
• After losing only two of his first 15 matches against Real Madrid in all competitions, Pep Guardiola has lost three of his last six games against Los Blancos as a manager.
• Real Madrid have kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches in the UEFA Champions League. They have not conceded a goal in their last 346 minutes in the competition.

Team News

Real Madrid:

Ferland Mendy is missing for Madrid, while Eder Militao is suspended. In his place, David Alaba will partner Antonio Rudiger in central defence with Nacho Fernandez at left-back.

Elsewhere, Eduardo Camavinga will play alongside Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield. Federico Valverde is likely to form part of the front three with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr.

Manchester City:

City, meanwhile, welcomed back Kevin De Bruyne for the win over Leeds on Saturday in a major boost for Guardiola. A defensive concern is also lingering in the mind of Guardiola. City lost Nathan Ake to an apparent hamstring issue with 54 minutes gone against Leeds. The fans are anxiously awaiting updates on the Dutchman's condition.

Guardiola has to recall Kyle Walker to try to keep Vinicius Junior in their control. Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish are looking to return to the first XI after the gaffer made some changes at the weekend. The Norwegian averages a goal every 58 minutes in the Champions League. Unsurprisingly it is the best ratio in the history of the competition. He will give his admirers plenty to think about on Tuesday.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Predicted Line-ups

Real Madrid starting lineup:

Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr

Manchester City starting lineup:

Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Fantasy XI (4-3-3)

Courtois; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Stones; Rodri, De Bruyne, Modric; Silva, Haaland, Vinicius Jr