On Wednesday, Real Madrid will square off against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu for the second slot in the finals that will take place in France.
The first leg, played at the Etihad Stadium last week, was an absolute thriller as Manchester City and Real Madrid put up a goal-fest that ended 4-3 in favour of the Premier League champions. Despite being pegged back time and again, Los Blancos kept coming back into the game to ensure they are still alive in the tie.
Benzema’s brace on either side of Vinicius Junior’s dazzling run and finish has kept the tie alive for a Real side whose defence was also breached at will by the Citizens, who struck four times themselves through Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden on the night.
Following that match, Manchester City warmed up for the second leg in Spain with a 4-0 thumping over Leeds United in the Premier League while resting key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. And Pep Guardiola will be hoping that his men can carry forward in the same vein of form at the Bernabeu and get the job done.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid also secured a 4-0 victory of their own, beating Espanyol at home on Saturday. The victory saw Carlo Ancelotti’s side being crowned the champions of La Liga, following which the morale in the camp would be sky-high. They have pulled off unlikely comebacks in the Champions League against PSG and Chelsea this season and will need to do so again on Wednesday night.
The big blow for Real Madrid comes in the form of David Alaba’s absence, with the Austrian international an injury-enforced absentee, even though he has been named in the squad by Carlo Ancelotti. He joins Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale out on the treatment tables. Casemiro is back in contention for the home team, though, after missing the first leg with an injury.
Manchester City have welcomed Kyle Walker back into training ahead of their big game at the Spanish capital. However, Pep Guardiola insisted that a call on his involvement will be taken closer to the game. John Stones is ruled out of the clash after picking up an injury in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium. Joao Cancelo is back available for the Cityzens after missing the first leg due to suspension.
Real Madrid’s possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Nacho, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Manchester City’s possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Jesus, Foden
Date, kick-off time and venue
Real Madrid vs Manchester City is scheduled for an 8 pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.
The match will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain.
