Real Madrid – Manchester City

Real and Manchester City will play in an open style

On Tuesday 09 May, Real Madrid will play Manchester City at home. Both teams are currently regarded as the strongest in Europe. Real Madrid head into the semi-finals of the Champions League after winning the King's Cup, while Manchester City claim a historic treble. Carlo Ancelotti has managed to bring the team to the decisive matches in excellent condition. Madrid defeated Osasuna in the King's Cup final by a wide margin overall. Vinicius' dribbling was intimidating for the defence. So was Rodrigo's compatriot. The two Brazilians are now at their peak form. Another positive piece of news is the return of the injured players. Luka Modric can return to the pitch. Alaba has recovered from his injury. Karim Benzema had previously had a scare with a new injury, but it was just a minor contusion. Ancelotti can not only field an optimum squad, but also expect some rotation. Madrid have recorded a slump in their league results. The club even lost second place to Atletico, but such an approach is understandable. Real have long lost motivation in La Liga. The team was saving energy in the regular tournament matches. Hence the reasons for the defeats in games against Real Sociedad and Girona. These matches should not be taken seriously when talking about Madrid's problems. Manchester City's record is perfect. There are no problems in either tournament. The team has made a decisive breakthrough in the English league. After beating Arsenal, Josep Guardiola's men avoided any slippage. The club added nine more points and are three steps away from the league title. The last time the Citizens failed to win the English league title was back in February. In that time, the club have won all their matches. There were only two Champions League draws against Leipzig and Bayern Munich. The breakthrough was largely made possible by Guardiola's evolutionary hybrid scheme. The club now plays with three central defenders in attack, with John Stones dropping into the centre of the pitch and acting as a supporting midfielder alongside Rhodri. Importantly, the coach can apply the rotation. Manchester City currently have no injuries at all. At Madrid, it is logical to expect attacking football. Last season, at this stage of the tournament, the opponents twice played an open game. The match in England ended 4-3. Manchester City have only grown stronger since then. The English will not relinquish control in Spain. It will be important for the team to win already in the first meeting. The trio of Vinicius-Benzema-Rodrigo looks dangerous on the counter. We can fully expect a repeat of the scoring performance.