Stopping Vinicius
If Manchester City are going to succeed in this tie, they will almost certainly have to keep Vinicius Junior quiet. The Brazilian forward was dangerous last season but has taken his game to a new level since, showing superb quality to go with the impressive character to keep going in the face of regular racist abuse from La Liga crowds.
Fortunately for City, Pep Guardiola feels like his team’s biggest improvement this year has been at the back and a look at the candidates to stop Vinicius would support that theory. Amid the crazy end to their semi-final tie last season, it should be remembered that injuries and form left a 35-year-old Fernandinho playing right-back.
City are in a better space with injuries, meaning that they have Kyle Walker and John Stones available as options where they didn’t last year. Add in surprise summer signing Manu Akanji and even with Nathan Ake injured the Blues have never had better choices to try to stop the best attackers in the game.
Haaland reaction
Erling Haaland goals have slowed down in recent weeks, as ridiculous as that sounds. And for the first time since the beginning of March, the No.9 blanked in a game at the Etihad when he missed several big chances in the win over Leeds at the weekend and also gave up the opportunity to take a penalty.
Guardiola will expect his striker to be on penalty duties should City get one at the Bernabeu, but going off Haaland’s performances this season everyone should expect a reaction from him on Tuesday – and probably one that involves him scoring at least one goal.
The Madrid dailies have had an awful lot to say and write about Haaland since he turned down the chance to join Real last summer, and now they get to see up close how he fares against the kings of Europe.
First leg
Real lost the first leg of this fixture last season yet delivered when it mattered. Guardiola was unhappy at the response to City not winning in Leipzig in the last-16, and then promptly won the return leg 7-0.
The Bernabeu may still hold an aura that the Blues will have to cope with on Tuesday night, yet as long as the Premier League champions return home with the tie still alive they can feel confident of their chances next week at the Etihad given how strong their performances have been at home this season – particularly in big games.
Defence vs attack
City’s 4-3 win at home over Real Madrid last year was one of the most thrilling games of football the stadium has witnessed, with a Karim Benzema ‘Panenka’ ensuring the gap between the teams was just one on a night when City should have put the tie out of sight.
That proved key in the second leg, when Real came back from two goals down in the tie with only injury time left to knock Guardiola’s side out in extra time. If that provided a fresh chapter in the book of City’s pain in Europe, it stuck to one of the fundamentals that has dogged the team in recent years of conceding too many goals: six against Monaco in 2017, five against Liverpool a year later, four against Spurs after that, and six against Real.
The path to this semi-final has been built on a solid defence, with just one goal conceded over both legs in the last-16 and quarter-final. City will take a less thrilling match on Tuesday if it increases their chances of a second final.