Real Madrid: 5 key players to watch at Manchester City

RW Marco Asensio

Real Madrid right winger Marco Asensio has been one of the team’s most important attacking players since his return from a torn ACL in the preseason, even scoring with his very first touch as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Valencia.

Asensio’s sweet left foot has scored beauties in the Champions League before, and it could very well end up being the difference next Friday. There’s no guarantee he starts, since Isco could play on the right in a front three or Zinedine Zidane could roll with the diamond formation.

But even if Asensio makes an appearance off the bench, he could have a huge say on the result. The Spanish international scored three goals in nine appearances without ever playing the full 90, meaning his efficiency in front of goal is remarkable.

With a favorable matchup in front of him against Manchester City, Asensio could be a major key to victory for Los Blancos. And in addition to providing a goal-scoring threat, Asensio has completed more than 85 percent of his passes in six of his nine appearances, per WhoScored.com, registering multiple key passes in the two games he played at least 70 minutes.

Pep Guardiola and City certainly won’t be taking the 24-year-old lightly.