Manchester City will host Wednesday at Etihad Stadium real madrid In an effort to take advantage of the land factor and untangle it in the semi-finals of the European Champions League in football. The two teams tied a week ago in the first leg, 1-1.
Spanish coach Pep Guardiola’s team has the equipment necessary to face the stubborn Real in an ancient competition that it is panting behind, and it also has the advantage of the land, especially since it won all of its 14 home matches in 2023.
City is fighting on three fronts, as it is very close to winning its fifth title in six years in the English Premier League (at the expense of Arsenal), and it will meet its arch-neighbor Manchester United in the final of the local cup and continues to strive for a continental title.
Guardiola rested Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who scored the equalizer in the first leg, during the outright 3-0 win at Everton on Sunday. But he pushed his scoring machine, the Norwegian Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals in various competitions.
De Bruyne’s contributions with City were pivotal in the past years, before the arrival of the Norwegian giants last summer. And before his goal at the Santiago Bernabeu, he scored a brace against Arsenal, which paved the way for a third consecutive title in the Premier League. However, the red-haired Belgian is more distinguished by his assists, which amounted to 27 in 43 games this season, becoming the fastest player to pass 100 decisive balls in the Premier League.
Camavinga’s presence gives hope to Real Madrid
On the other hand, Real Madrid has enjoyed a terrible sway over this competition since its inception, when it was crowned five times between 1956 and 1960, and then in the third millennium, when it won the title seven times, the last of which was last season, at the expense of Liverpool, with a goal without a response.
And his fans breathed a sigh of relief when coach Carlo Ancelotti announced that his young French left-back, Eduardo Camavinga (20 years), had a bad knee. Camavinga played an important role with the goal of Brazilian Vinicius Junior in the first leg, before he committed a mistake that cost his team a draw, noting that the player played 54 matches in various competitions this season.
Real Madrid lost its title in the domestic league in favor of its historical rival Barcelona, but partially compensated by winning the King’s Cup title at the expense of Osasuna (2-1) and hopes to continue its way to the continental final to meet Inter Milan, who qualified against its neighbor and rival Milan (3-0).
Ancelotti is again counting on Vinicius Junior, veteran Benzema and Croatian playmaker Luka Modric to establish the royal knot in the semi-final against Manchester Blue.
France 24/AFP
2023-05-17 10:16:42
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