Real Madrid and Manchester City meet in the first leg of this season’s Champions League semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight, having previously met at this stage of the competition last year.
Last season, City won the first leg 4-3 at the Etihad Stadium and were seconds away from reaching the final after Riyad Mahrez extended their aggregate lead at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, however, fought back at the death, forcing extra time with two incredibly late goals, and won the match to win their 14th European title.
Pep Guardiola will be determined to capture his first European trophy with City, while Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to guide Madrid to the final and win their 15th Champions League trophy.
Head-to-Head (Last Five Games)
Real Madrid: 2 wins
Man City: 3 wins
Draws: 0
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Real Madrid: Win-Lose-Win-Lose-Win
Man City: Win-Win-Win-Win-Win
Players to watch
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – In the previous rounds, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner scored twice against Liverpool and Chelsea respectively. He is already familiar with scoring against English teams. Benzema has four goals in eight Champions League appearances this season. The French striker also has 17 goals in La Liga this season and will be a player to watch tonight.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) – In 10 Champions League games, he has 6 goals and 5 assists for Los Blancos. Only once this season has the Brazilian failed to score or assist in a Champions League game, against Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage. He will be one to cause problems for City defenders.
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Erling Haaland (Man City)- He is arguably the best striker in the world right now. So far this season, the Norwegian has 51 goals in all competitions. He is currently the Premier League’s top scorer (35 goals in 32 games) and the Champions League’s top scorer (12 goals in 8 games). He’s definitely giving Madrid shivers.
