Real Madrid fans will be happy with Thibaut Courtois’ claim

Real Madrid and Manchester City played out a 1-1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final tie. Thus, both sides have all to play for in the second leg, and most people would give Pep Guardiola’s side a slight advantage, as they will have the home advantage. But it would be a mistake to count Los Blancos as underdogs.

Real Madrid brilliant when it comes to winning big games. When was the last time that they lost a two-legged tie or an important final?

Thus, there might not be a favourite in the second leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid. And when you consider how the first leg played out, these are certainly two sides very close in quality to each other. Anybody who thought the tie was going to be one-sided was mistaken.

Thibaut Courtois seemed to have a very positive outlook on things going into the second leg and seemed to be happy with Real Madrid’s chances. As reported by Metro, the Belgian goalkeeper said:

"’It was a good game from both sides.‘We defended a bit more. If you want to defend, you need to not give Haaland the space to run in to find those passes that Kevin, Bernardo and Gundogan can play easily.‘We played well. As a consequence they will shoot more from distance. Rodri, Kevin shoot well with the ball. It was a good draw and everything to play for.‘It will be like a final. I hope we can put that in our minds although it’s away, but I think we’re quite good at winning finals so I hope we can mentalise it like this, even though it’s in City.’"

Real Madrid fans will be happy with Courtois’ claim

If Real Madrid are to progress to the final, they will certainly need Courtois to be on top of his game in the second leg. The Belgian has been exceptional in recent years, especially when it comes to big matches.

Manchester City are expected to have their chances against Real Madrid. And Erling Haaland might not be as quiet as he was at Santiago Bernabeu.

So Real Madrid will certainly have their work cut out. But at the same time, they have the quality and experience to navigate this challenge for sure. It remains to be seen if they can produce their best once again on the big stage. Whoever goes through will be heavy favourites to win the competition this season.