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.
LB Joao Cancelo
Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy is a defensively rock solid full-back, but Manchester city’s Joao Cancelo is in a league of his own. He is simply one of the best full-backs out there. He’s an artist with the ball at his feet, who can beat defenders for fun, create dangerous chances with ease, and score occasional but beautiful goals.
The extra bit of quality he provides in the attack has enabled him to become a decisive player at Manchester City. Here’s an insane stat that proves how he’s an all-round player, despite being a full-back. As per FBRef, he’s in the 99th percentile for Progressive carries, Progressive passes, passes completed, through balls completed per 90, and in the 98th percentile for tackles attempted in the final third.
CB Ruben Dias
For the position of an LCB, my choice is Manchester City’s Ruben Dias, who has been a rock for Pep Guardiola at the back, ever since his move to the Premier League in 2020. He has become an undroppable player for City, thanks to his supreme consistency. Numbers might now show us the complete picture of his brilliance, but there is a sense of security at the back in his presence.
It was a tough call to pick him ahead of David Alaba, who’s been excellent in his first season at Real Madrid. He’s an intelligent player who can read the game extremely well, and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. But Ruben Dias has been a better centre-back than him in the last two seasons, with his physique giving him an edge over others.
CB Eder Militao
Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are two decent centre-backs, but when it comes to selecting the best centre-back, there shouldn’t be any doubt about selecting Real Madrid’s Eder Militao. The Brazilian has made the RCB position his own and didn’t let Real Madrid feel the absence of Raphael Varane, who’s been a great servant to the club.
His positional awareness and tackling technique are brilliant, and his ability to make use of his body makes him a fantastic defender. There are a few games where you can point out his blatant errors, but he has been a trustworthy defender, dropping defensive masterclasses from time to time. In fact, his performance against Real Sociedad at Anoeta in December 2021 is one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen this season, if not the best. Even my colleague Kevin thinks so, as he rated Militao with a 10 out of 10 after that game.
RB Kyle Walker
The one thing I envy the most about teams like Manchester City and Liverpool is the quality of their full-backs. Full-backs play a prominent role in the modern game of football, and City’s management did a great job by recruiting full-backs like Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker, with the Englishman making it to our combined Xi as a right-back. Walker isn’t that typical pacy right-back who bombs down the right channel at every chance possible, anymore. He has a different role assigned to him by Guardiola, with the Spaniard mostly using Walker as an inverted full-back, who forms a back-three with the centre-backs and helps the team build the attack from the back, while also preventing danger at the back. As you can observe here, his stats like progressive carries and key passes aren’t that great, but his passing numbers and possession stats are at another level.
Honestly, I feel that a fit and healthy Dani Carvajal can be the best right-back in the world on his day. After all, he played a massive role during Real Madrid’s Champions League three-peat. But in the last year and a half, he has struggled to maintain his form and fitness, which is the reason why I didn’t consider him.
CM Luka Modric
If there’s any name on this list whose inclusion deserves the least justification, it’s Luka Modric. A Ballon d’Or winner, a four-time Champions League winner, the epitome of consistency and longevity, a player who’s balling at the age of 36, one of the best clutch players in Europe, what else should I call him? People usually tend to forget him, but he keeps reminding people that he’s the best midfielder of this generation by producing magical moments like Tuesday’s incredible trivela assist to Rodrygo.
Speaking of his current form, he has 4 assists in the Champions League, with three of them coming in knockout stage masterclasses against Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. I think this stat is enough to talk about his form in Europe, and his thirst for success.
DM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos’ inclusion might surprise some people due to two reasons: the position in which he’s selected, and his current form. Toni Kroos hasn’t really been a DM at Real Madrid, with his team-mate Casemiro being a definite starter in that position. But he has the experience of playing as a DM, and in a lineup like this, which is filled with technically sound and hard-working players, I’m sure that the technically perfect Toni Kroos deserves a spot in this team and I can see him excelling in a team like this.
And regarding Toni Kroos’ current form, it is true that the German hasn’t reached the level of performance that is expected from him in recent weeks. But this is where we should remember something. Toni Kroos’ standards are so high that a below-average game from him can be an excellent game for some other midfielders. He’s just adapting to a new role in his life under Carlo Ancelotti, and I’m sure this is something he can shake off.
CM Kevin De Bruyne
While making a combined XI of players from Real Madrid and Manchester City, it would be a crime to leave Kevin De Bruyne out of this list. He’s one of the best midfielders in the world, and he has always proved his worth from time to time. I usually describe him as a perfect blend of technical prowess and athleticism, but looking at his performances this season, I think I should add the word clutch player too.
The 30-year-old has 14 goals and 8 assists in all competitions this season, with 7 of those goals coming against Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Leicester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United. And he has won the most number of Man of the Match awards in the Champions League in the last two seasons, which is simply an unbelievable stat.
RW Riyad Mahrez
Ever since Gareth Bale’s decline, the right-wing has been a position of concern for Real Madrid. The club needs a goalscoring right-winger with a left-foot like Mo Salah or Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian international has been one hell of a goalscorer for Manchester City since his arrival, and he deservedly makes it into this combined XI. Mahrez has registered a whopping total of 22 goals in all competitions this season, of which six have come in the Champions League.
This has been a relatively easier selection, given Real Madrid’s troubles in this position and Mahrez’s tremendous impact as a goalscoring right-winger.
CF Karim Benzema
Like Luka Modric, Karim Benzema is another player who walks his way into this combined XI. 38 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season, out of which 12 goals have come in the UEFA Champions League. And those goals include back-to-back hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the Champions League knockout stages. Do I need to mention anything more about the best player in the world right now?
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LW Vinicius Jr
If we made this lineup around 10-11 months ago, none of us would have picked Vinicius Jr. But in one year, Vinicius Jr has turned everything around. There has been a complete transformation in his finishing and decision making, with the Brazilian registering 17 goals and 17 assists (including penalties won) in all competitions this season. Not only are these numbers superior to Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling‘s numbers, but Vinicius’ contributions have also come at a clutch time.
He started this season as a goalscorer, but in recent weeks he has drifted towards a creative role, with his focus primarily on exploiting spaces and creating from wide areas. He has the most shot-creating actions in LaLiga to his name, creating a chance for him or his teammates once every 16 minutes, which shows us a lot about his brilliant form this season.