Madrid and City collide for the third year in a row, with the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in the Spanish capital as the stage for the second leg. The winner of the two previous matches ended up winning the European Cup. And it seems very likely that the winner of this match will maintain that streak.
“Two teams are playing that are not similar, because each one has its characteristics, but they are teams with a lot of individual quality on the field,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti commented on Monday. “We will see a very nice match, on a technical level.”
Ancelotti, who will extend his record of games as a coach in the Champions League to 200, has had eight full days to prepare for the fight against Pep Guardiola’s City.
City, on the other hand, visited Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday and Guardiola has not hidden his annoyance at the considerable difference in the teams’ preparation time. Madrid, leader in the Spanish League, has not played since March 31, when it defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0. The meringues rested over the weekend, since the Spanish calendar reserved the date for the Copa del Rey final.
Two seasons ago, Madrid eliminated City with a comeback in the last minutes of the second leg of a tie that was defined at the Bernabéu, where they maintain an unbeaten streak of 27 games in all competitions that dates back to April of last year .
But City got even with Madrid last season, winning 4-0 at home in the second leg of the semi-finals.
Revitalized with the signing of Jude Bellingham last summer, Madrid leads the national tournament with an eight-point lead and is going for its 15th European Cup.
“We played without courage and without personality, which are fundamental aspects in this type of match,” Ancelotti recalled about last year’s tie. “In the return we lacked that. Obviously there was also a lack of football in some situations of the game. It was not only a mental problem, but also a technical one. They put a lot of pressure on us from above and we did not look for alternative solutions.”
City are trying to repeat the treble after winning the Premier, Champions and FA Cup titles last year.
The last four games between the clubs left a total of 17 goals. They will have met 12 times in 12 years after this tie. City have won four games, Madrid in three and the others ended in draws.
City arrives with concerns in defense due to physical problems. Captain and right-back Kyle Walker was injured for England during the recent international break. Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol, Guardiola’s players on the left, suffered injuries after the resumption of the Premier League. None of the three trained on Monday, and Guardiola will have to call on Rico Lewis, 19, on the right, and improvise with Manuel Akanji on the left.
“What can I say? We will play with eleven, we will look for solutions,” said Guardiola. “It is true that Walker is the one who can best defend Vinícius, but unfortunately we are having many injuries in this section.”
The other tie that will be played on Tuesday will have Arsenal – current leader of the Premier – facing a Bayern Munich team that is about to complete a forgettable season in the German league.
In another heavyweight matchup, Paris Saint-Germain will host Barcelona on Wednesday. Kylian Mbappe is looking to take the French champions to the top in Europe before leaving at the end of the season.
Also on Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund will visit Atlético de Madrid.
GOAL PROMISE
Madrid presents itself with all its forwards very sharp. Bellingham has 20 goals in 32 games this season, including four in the Champions League. Vinícius Júnior arrives first with five goals in his last three games. Brahim Díaz provides a boost coming off the bench. And Rodrygo ended a six-week scoring drought by scoring a double in the victory against Athletic Bilbao.
But City are also on fire, scoring four goals in each of the wins against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to stay one point behind Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League.
LUIS ENRIQUE
After a complicated start to his time as PSG coach, having to deal with Mbappé’s contractual conflict, Luis Enrique has been gaining followers among the club’s fans and the French press, even though he has had to do without Mbappé or take him out of the games.
Luis Enrique won the treble as Barça coach in 2015, with Lionel Messi in the squad, and can repeat the feat at PSG with Mbappé.
PSG has gone 27 games without losing, a streak that dates back to a loss away to AC Milan in November in the group stage. Facing a well-rested rival appears to be the most demanding test of the season.
Xavi Hernández tried to make his team react by announcing that he will resign as coach at the end of the season, achieving a rebound. The Catalans have gone 11 games without losing since Xavi announced in January that he will not complete the last year of his contract.
Robert Lewandowski, the teenager Lamine Yamal and Raphinha have performed well in recent days, but the midfield generates uncertainty due to the injuries of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
Source: AP
