Real Madrid will be facing Premier League leaders Manchester City in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. It will be a rematch of the 2019-20 Round of 16 clash, where Los Blancos lost 4-2 on aggregate against Pep Guardiola’s side.
Having drawn Chelsea in the quarter-finals, Real Madrid won 5-4 on aggregate in what was one of the most dramatic knockout fixtures in recent memory. On the other hand, Manchester City faced Atlético Madrid. A 1-0 win in the first leg for the Cityzens was enough to see them through to the semis as the second leg ended in a goalless draw, although one with its fair share of action and drama.
With less than two weeks before Los Blancos visit the Etihad Stadium for the first leg of the semi-final, we need to discuss the biggest burning questions leading to the game.
1. Can Real Madrid exact revenge?
Manchester City were a far superior side across both legs in the Round of 16 of the 2019-20 edition of the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid hosted the Cityzens in the first leg, where they lost 2-1 after giving away the lead. In the second leg, set in a post-lockdown era, Pep’s team won with an identical scoreline as the first leg.
Real Madrid were probably a weaker side back then. But they are a different unit under Carlo Ancelotti. The form of the individual players and their ability to produce a moment of magic out of nowhere is near its best this season, as seen in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea, where Luka Modrić produced one of the greatest assists you’ll ever see to lay it on a plate for Rodrygo, whose first time effort saw Real Madrid equalise the score on aggregate.
Even though Los Blancos have managed to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain and defending champions Chelsea, two of the favourites to win the title this season, Manchester City is undeniably going to be their toughest test yet. They are on another level altogether, and while I never place my bet against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, the Sky Blues will begin as the favourites to proceed to their second successive Champions League final.
This two-legged tie will be mouth-watering. The last time Carlo Ancelotti faced Pep Guardiola in the Champions League, Real Madrid thrashed Bayern Munich 5-0 on aggregate in the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League semifinals. Let’s hope Carletto can continue this streak against arguably the best manager in the world at the moment.
2. Will there be more injuries for both teams?
Ferland Mendy and Marcelo suffered injuries against Chelsea in the second leg. The former hadn’t recovered from his previous injury, so this relapse will cause the French left-back to be out of action for two weeks. He could possibly miss the first leg of the semi-final.
Marcelo is out for just one week, though. So we can expect him to be fit in time for the visit to Manchester.
Karim Benzema was seen in pain in extra time against Chelsea, but, fortunately, he hasn’t suffered any injury. Nacho escaped an injury too. That begs the question: will Real Madrid have a near full-strength squad for their trip to Etihad Stadium? Let’s hope not.
On the other hand, Manchester City were given injury scares in the form of Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Atlético Madrid.
Talking about Walker’s ankle twist after the second leg, Guardiola said, “He wouldn’t have remained on the pitch. He had a big twist but it is getting better. In football, these kinds of things happen but we will adapt and adjust.”
De Bruyne was on the bench against Liverpool for their FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, being unused by Guardiola. Ruben Dias, who picked up a hamstring injury against Peterborough in the FA Cup at the beginning of March, also returned to the squad against Liverpool.
3. Four midfielders? Three forwards? How will Real Madrid line up against Manchester City?
In both the legs against Chelsea, Carletto opted for the usual Toni Kroos-Casemiro-Luka Modrić midfield. Vinícius Júnior started on the left wing, as usual, accompanied by Karim Benzema in the No. 9 role.
However, it was Fede Valverde’s inclusion as the right winger ahead of the first leg that came as a major surprise. A central midfielder, Fede’s inclusion over the more natural options in Rodrygo and Marco Asensio was a big tactical gamble – and one that paid off handsomely.
Rodrygo’s love affair with the UEFA Champions League could mean that he gets the nod ahead of Valverde in that right wing spot. But that doesn’t mean that the Uruguayan should be left on the bench. In my opinion, Kroos should drop to the bench and Valverde should start in midfield alongside Casemiro and Modrić. Maybe even Eduardo Camavinga could slot in there, given how shaky and inconsistent Casemiro has been in recent weeks.
Camavinga has played brilliantly in the last three Champions League knockout games (the two legs against Chelsea, and the second leg of the Round of 16 against PSG). But he came off the bench and provided exuberance during the second half.
Ancelotti admitted that Camavinga does have the quality to start these big games, but that he is more impactful from the bench for now.
🎙| Ancelotti: "Camavinga can play from the start surely. But when you have Camavinga, Valverde and Rodrygo from the bench who are fresh you can change the game."
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) April 12, 2022
Carlo Ancelotti will have to get his starting XI absolutely spot-on. City are a dangerous team, probably the best in the world at the moment, and Real Madrid will have to do a lot of things correctly – one of them being getting the combinations perfectly – if they are to progress to their first Champions League Final since 2018.
4. Will we witness the ‘Magic of Bernabéu’ one last time in the Champions League?
The Santiago Bernabéu was stunned on September 28, 2021, when UEFA Champions League debutants FC Sheriff Tiraspol beat Real Madrid 2-1 in their own den.
The campaign, if you consider Real Madrid’s fortunes on their turf, has been a mixed bag. What started disappointedly has changed into something magical over the last month and a half. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have visited the Bernabéu during that period for the return legs, and they have been victims of the ‘Magic of Bernabéu’.
PSG saw a 17-minute hat-trick from Karim Benzema turn the tie on its head. Leading 2-0 on aggregate in the 60th minute of the second leg of the Round of 16, it seemed like Les Parisiens were on course to book their place in the Champions League quarterfinals. But a Gianluigi Donnarumma blunder gave Los Blancos the lifeline they needed to mount a comeback. And they did exactly that. At the end of the 90 in the second leg, Real Madrid beat PSG 3-2 on aggregate.
In the quarter-final against Chelsea, Los Merengues took a healthy 3-1 lead at the Stamford Bridge in the first leg. But the Blues were absolutely ruthless in the return leg at the Bernabéu, scoring three goals without reply. The aggregate score was 4-3 with just over 10 minutes to go. Real Madrid seemed destined to be knocked out by Chelsea in the Champions League for the second successive season.
But that’s exactly when Rodrygo scored a goal. The game was forced into extra time, and it took Benzema just six minutes to score Madrid’s second of the night, putting Los Blancos ahead on aggregate.
As Real Madrid are set to play the second leg against Manchester City at home, one can only wonder if we will get to witness another one of those memorable Champions League nights at the Bernabéu, this time to clinch a place in the final.
5. Will Karim Benzema finish as the top scorer of the Champions League?
Karim Benzema has scored 38 goals in 38 games this season, with 12 of those coming in the UEFA Champions League. Seven of those 12 goals have come in the last three games alone. There is absolutely no doubt that Big Benz is the player with the hottest goalscoring form in Europe at the moment.
Only Robert Lewandowski has scored more goals in the Champions League than the Frenchman this season, with 13 goals to his name. But with Bayern Munich being kicked out of the competition by Villarreal (I want to take a moment to appreciate what they’ve done. They were simply outstanding.), Benzema has a chance to topple Lewandowski to become the leading goalscorer of the 2021-22 Champions League campaign.
Benzema has already done it against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, so there are absolutely no qualms about him scoring against the Premier League leaders. In fact, he scored against them in the second leg of the Round of 16 in the 2019-20 season.
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Benzema will be the most dangerous player for Real Madrid, and also the most important one, if they are to overcome Guardiola’s troops. With the sort of form that he is in, you’d fancy him to deliver on the biggest stage of them all yet again.
The 34-year-old has never scored more goals in a single Champions League campaign before. So while has already achieved a lot, he will be hungry and desperate to score more goals against City as he is the talisman of the team.