Manchester City and Real Madrid are just a step away from reaching the 2022/23 Champions League final as they meet again in the second leg of the quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu. Inter Milan will be their opposition at the showpiece in Istanbul next month.
MCI vs RMA Match Details
Date: Wednesday 17 May 2023 / Thursday, 18 May 2023
Time: 20:00 (BST) / 00:30 (IST)
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
MCI vs RMA Match Preview
Manchester City will have a double celebration this week if they eliminate Champions League holders Real Madrid from the quarterfinals on Wednesday night and go on to secure the Premier League title with a win against Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal’s 3-0 loss to Brighton on the same day they beat Everton by the same margin has now left them one victory away from defending the prize for the third season running. The Sky Blues are chasing a remarkable treble this season also moving to the FA Cup final in June where they will face City rivals Manchester United. However, the continental prize is of their eagerness and taking a noteworthy 1-1 draw to the second leg at home should give them comfort to progress from the tie. Kevin De Bruyne’s smashing equalizer earned them the result at Santiago Bernabeu after Vinicius Jr’s rocket gave Madrid the lead from the home side’s very shot in the match. Having stayed unbeaten in the last 22 games and carrying a 15-match winning streak at home, only a slumber performance could prevent Pep Guardiola's side from reaching their destiny. Quite stunningly, City have not lost a single game at the Etihad Stadium since September 2018 in the Champions League against fellow English side Liverpool. Further, they never suffered defeat in the four meetings with the Los Blancos, two wins and two draws, at this venue in all competitions including the stunning 4-3 win last season at the semifinal stage as well.
Carlo Ancelloti argued after the conclusion of the first leg that De Bruyne’s goal should not have stood as the ball seemed to have gone over the line before Bernardo Silva kept in play. Still, Real Madrid cannot overlook the fact Eduardo Camavinga lost possession soon after the controversial moment leading Ilkay Gundogan to lay it off for the Belgian to score. The frustration from the Italian boss was legitimate considering his team would have been a better place carrying a lead into the away leg against such a dominating opposition. The record 13-time winners of the competition are never in a vulnerable position irrespective of the situation of the field, largely shown in their winning ruin last season including this fixture. However, they got home advantage in the second leg in each of those knockout ties. The narrative is different this time as Real Madrid look to use their monster mentality on the trip this time to carry them to yet another final of the competition, a record-extending 16 times. This will be significant for the Los Blancos as they are also running for a treble after winning the FIFA Club World Cup and Copa Del Rey this season but losing the La Liga title defense to Barcelona will sound bitter if they fail here. Hence, Ancelloti will be determined to make his 50th Champions League game as the manager of Real Madrid and his 191st game, the most in the competition’s history, a joyous occasion.
Recent Form (all competitions)
MCI: WDWWW
RMA: WDWLW
Recent Form (Champions League)
MCI: DDWWD
RMA: DWWWW
MCI vs RMA Team News
Nathan Ake remains unavailable for Manchester City with no other injury issues concerning the squad. De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and John Stones will return back to the starting eleven after earning a rest at the weekend while Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Erling Haaland retain their spot.
For the visitors, Eduardo Camavinga gave a scare after limping off the field in the 1-0 win over Getafe but Ancelloti immediately played down the fears declaring him fit for the second leg. He could be drafted in his natural midfield role than at left-back at the Etihad with David Alaba filling in the space to accommodate the returning Eder Militao at center-back alongside Antonio Rudiger. The Brazilian was suspended in the first leg.
MCI vs RMA Predicted Lineups
MCI: Ederson; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji; John Stones, Rodri; Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, De Bruyne, Jack Grealish; Erling Haaland
RMA: Thibaut Courtois; Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba; Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric; Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr
MCI vs RMA Head to Head
MCI won - 2
Drawn - 2
RMA won - 0
(At Etihad Stadium)
MCI vs RMA Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Courtois (8)
DEF: Militao (8), Dias (8), Akanji (8)
MID: De Bruyne (9), Gundogan (8.5), Kroos (8), Modric (7.5)
FW: Benzema (9), Haaland (9), Vini Jr (9)
Vice-captain: Vinicius Jr or Kevin De Bruyne
Captain: Erling Haaland
