Man City must beat Real in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals today to avenge last year's defeat and continue to dream of a treble.
In the first half of the first leg at the Bernabeu a week ago, Man City had 68% possession, six shots with four on target, and 315 passes compared to Real's 125. But it was Real who scored first with the only shot through Vinicius. The second half was the opposite, with Real having 57% possession, 12 shots with three on target - compared to their opponents' four and two. But Man City found the equaliser, again with a beautiful cannon shot from outside the box from Kevin de Bruyne.
With the score 1-1, Man City and Real are forced to create a win-lose result to decide the rematch, or have to settle it on penalties.
Man City are in excellent form, unbeaten in their last 22 matches in all competitions, including 18 wins and four draws, since losing 0-1 to Tottenham in the Premier League on February 5. In the Champions League alone, Pep Guardiola's team is unbeaten in 11 matches since losing 1-3 to Real at the same stage last season.
De Bruyne (No. 17) celebrates scoring the equalizer 1-1 for Man City in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabeu on May 9. Photo: Reuters
In the Premier League, Man City have won all 11 of their last matches to close the eight-point gap and take the top spot from Arsenal. The Gunners' 0-3 defeat to Brighton last weekend has given the Manchester club a chance to be crowned champions if they beat Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on May 21. With the Premier League race almost over, Man City can focus all their attention on today's big match.
On the other side of the front line, Real has been playing inconsistently, winning only four of their last seven matches in all competitions. In particular, Carlo Ancelotti's team lost to two opponents considered weak, Girona 2-4 and Sociedad 0-2. Last weekend, they beat Getafe 1-0 but became the former La Liga champion, when Barca defeated Espanyol 4-2 in the late match.
The clash at the Etihad today will be one of the most important matches in Man City's history. With the Premier League title race almost over and a ticket to the FA Cup final against Man Utd - where Man City are rated higher, Real is the toughest challenge for Guardiola's treble ambitions. Inter Milan are not easy opponents, but Man City are certainly rated much higher, if they reach the final.
But this is the Champions League, where Real always shows their mettle, experience and maturity, enough to overcome the most seemingly desperate moments.
Guardiola must not have forgotten the scenario in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final last season, when Man City led 5-3 until the last minute and were very close to reaching the final. However, Rodrygo's double in the 90th and 90+1st minutes and Karim Benzema's penalty in extra time made them regretful.
This is the second time Man City have been eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals. Coincidentally, the first time they suffered that pain was also against Real, in the 2015-2016 season. If they cannot get revenge today, Man City will become the first club to be eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals in two consecutive seasons by the same opponent.
But compared to last year's Madrid tragedy, today's encounter has one crucial difference. Man City play the return leg at the Etihad - where they are unbeaten in their last 25 Champions League games, winning 23 and drawing two. Only two teams have a longer unbeaten run at home in the competition's history: Barca (38) from 2013-2020 and Bayern (1998-2002).
In contrast, Real have drawn two and lost two of their last four away games against Man City in the Champions League. The only opponent Real have played more away games against in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League without ever winning is Milan, with two draws and five losses in seven games.
Benzema escapes a challenge from a Man City defender in the first leg of last season's Champions League semi-final, as Real lost 3-4 at the Etihad. Photo: DPA
Supercomputer Opta rates Man City's home form highly and says the English side have a 59.1% chance of winning the game in 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Real have a 19.7% chance of defeating the Etihad and a draw to send the game into extra time is at 21.2%. Even if the big match at the Etihad today goes into extra time, Opta still rates Man City higher with a 69% chance of reaching the Champions League final, compared to 16.6% for the defending champions.
"Man City are usually supporting characters, never the main characters in the Champions League. So is 2022-2023 their season?", commented the statistics website The Analyst . Opta shares the same opinion when assessing Guardiola's army as the strongest candidate with 44.6% to lift the title at Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul on June 10. Not Real, but Inter Milan with 36.8%.
Expected lineup
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland.
Real: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos, Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius.
Hong Duy
Source link
Comment (0)