Lovers of the beautiful game will be in for an early final when Real Madrid and Manchester City meet at the Santiago Bernabéu today (14:00 CET) in the first leg of the UEFA semi-finals Champions League.
The Meringues arrive motivated after being crowned Copa del Rey champions after nine long years. Although the chances of winning the league are nil, the Spanish team are doing everything they can to get the fifteenth Orejona.
Aware of the footballing prowess of his closest rival, Carlo Ancelotti trusts his coaches to repel Citizens’ play to ensure victory at home and in front of his fans.
“It’s a complete team that plays football very well. We’re working to stop a team that seems unstoppable. We will have options. We have arrived safely. At the same level as last season. What counts is the motivation, the illusion. win this Copa del Rey It’s an extra,” Carletto explained at a conference.
The last time Real Madrid and Manchester City met in the semi-finals of the last edition of the Champions League. Photo: Composite LR/Real Madrid/UEFA
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The Real Madrid strategist will put all his faith in the attacking trident made up of Karim Benzema, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo, who together have scored 15 goals in this Champions League.
On the other hand, Manchester City are having a great season, not only in European competition but in the First League and the FA Cup, tournaments where he can win both titles.
Despite the fact that the light blue line-up starts as key favourites, Pep Guardiola is not confident against Real Madrid, a team who have previously beaten Manchester City as they did in the last edition’s semifinals.
“To win this competition you have to beat the best teams. And Madrid are the best team in this competition. She has proven that over the past two decades. In the first leg last year we had an exceptional game. And in the second leg it wasn’t exceptional, but we played well,” he admitted pep in the previous
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The Spain manager will have none other than Erling Haaland as his main weapon. The Norwegian striker is the player of the moment, having scored 51 goals in his first season with the English side.
As if that wasn’t enough, he Former Borussia Dortmund He is considered the 2022-2023 Champions League goalscorer with 12 goals, a number he will be looking to boost against the current champions of the old continent.
This exciting meeting can also be experienced from the bank. Ancelotti and Guardiola have met 9 times as coaches (4 times in the Champions League, 4 times in the Premier League and 1 time in the FA Cup), with the Spaniard victorious 6 times and the Italian 3 times. However , Carletto has a better record against Pep in the European tournament with 3 wins and 1 loss.
The clash between the Meringues and Celestial marks the end of either team’s winning streak. He real Madrid He only knows home wins for this Champions League (Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic, Liverpool and Chelsea). For their part, Manchester City have not lost a single away game this edition (Seville, Copenhagen, Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig and Bayern Munich).
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I knew that…
Prehistory. The last time Real Madrid and Manchester City met at the Santiago Bernabéu for the UEFA Champions League was on May 4, 2022. In that game, the Meringues won 3-1 with goals from Rodrygo (2) and Karim Benzema.