This week, Carlo Ancelotti will rally his team for the most important game of the season so far. It is Real Madrid vs Man City in the 1st leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie so Los Blancos must take advantage of being at home and try their hardest to take a win into the 2nd leg.
Needless to say, both teams will line up in their strongest possible manner. Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola both understand the prestige that winning this competition has to offer, given that both managers have a good history in the UCL. That said, Pep Guardiola does have a few injury conundrums to decipher.
In the buildup to the match, a lot of the speculation will be around the Ederson injury. The Brazilian goalkeeper who is one of the best in the world has been sidelined for Man City since the beginning of March, when he became injured in the Premier League against Liverpool. Just this weekend, he made his injury return but remained an unused substitute.
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Pep Guardiola makes Ederson injury claim ahead of Real Madrid vs Man City
So, will Ederson start under Pep Guardiola in Real Madrid vs Man City? Well, Pep has made an interesting Ederson injury claim, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Italian journalist claims that Pep is still deciding on whether to play Ederson for the first time in a month or to continue starting Stefan Ortega, who has been really pleased with.
According to Romano, Guardiola said: "Ederson or Ortega vs Real Madrid? I have to think about it because Ederson comes back from being injured and feels good. So I have to decide if a lack of rhythm. But we're really pleased from Stefan, an exceptional keeper!"
The fact of the matter is that both goalkeepers are good enough to start against Real Madrid. Ortega is one of the best back-up goalkeepers in the world, so the Real Madrid attack will not feel the benefit of either goalkeeper starting. It will be tough either way.
Regardless, having Ederson back and available for selection in this game is a huge boost for Man City and a huge blow for Real Madrid. Real fans know better than most that Pep Guardiola is the master of mind-games, so anything he says in the buildup to this big clash should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Do you think Man City will start Ederson or Ortega vs Real Madrid?