Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Combined XI for Champions League Semifinal
It’s official, Real Madrid is going to play another Premier League club in the Champions League knockout stages this season. After defeating the London-based Chelsea by an aggregate score of 5-4, Los Blancos are now drawn against Manchester City, the Premier League leaders. Pep Guardiola’s team has qualified for the semi-finals after defeating Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid by 1-0 across both legs, in a very tense encounter.
Like Chelsea, Manchester City had also knocked out Real Madrid in the recent past, eliminating the Merengues in the Round of 16 stage of the 2019/20 season. Madrid would want to forget that fateful night at the Etihad where they lost the game due to individual errors, but it will be interesting to see if they can seek revenge against City as they did against the current Champions League holders.
In the build-up to this highly anticipated clash between the LaLiga leaders and the Premier League leaders, let us make a combined XI comprising Real Madrid and Manchester City’s players. There’s a lot of quality on both sides, so it is going to be fun selecting the best XI. Let us get going, starting with the position of the goalkeeper.
GK Thibaut Courtois
With all due respect to Manchester City’s Ederson, it is a no-brainer to pick Real Madrid’s, Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian has been the best goalkeeper across the whole of Europe this season, and he has practically been a match-winner for Real Madrid, making difficult and crucial saves in almost every game.
Ederson is a top-class keeper, with his passing abilities being his standout trait. Even the numbers show that Ederson is a better passer than Courtois. But Courtois’s shot-stopping abilities are enough to make him a superior keeper. As per WhoScored, Courtois averages 2.8 saves per 90 across all competitions, with the number rising to 3.8 saves per 90 in the Champions League, while Ederson averages 1.5 saves per 90 in all competitions and 1.2 saves per 90 in the Champions League. And at the end of the day, the goals you prevent are obviously more important than everything else for a goalkeeper.