Manchester City vs Real Madrid Preview

Real Madrid will travel to Manchester this Tuesday to face Manchester City in the first leg of their 2021/22 Champions League tie.

The hosts who have won their last five European home games against Spanish opponents without defeat (W4, D1) are looking to book their place in the next round of the UCL at the expense of another Spanish team after defeating Atletico Madrid in the previous round.

They come into this tie on the back of an exciting dominant win over Watford in the Premier League. The 5-1 win which featured four goals from Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus kept Pep Guardiola’s side top of the table, one point ahead of Liverpool in the race for the title.

They have conceded just two goals across their last four UCL home fixtures while keeping two clean sheets in their last five games.

And so they will come into this tie with much confidence. However, the absence of João Cancelo from this tie because of the accumulation of yellow cards will be a big blow for Guardiola who could also be without the defencive duo of Kyle Walker and John Stones for this game as both players are still nursing injuries sustained against Atletico Madrid.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will look to advance to the next round at the expense of another English team after they beat Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate in the previous round.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side come into this tie on the back of a 3-1 win over Osasuna in the Spanish La Liga. That win coupled with Barcelona’s shock home loss to Rayo Vallecano means that the visitors now need just one point to seal the La Liga title.

With the domestic title almost in the bag, they will come into this fixture desperate for a win that will take them to another final as they attempt to add to their already record number of titles.

Given that they have scored an average of 2.75 goals per game across their last four UCL away fixtures (W3, L1), they will fancy their chances of getting a few goals at the Etihad.

Madrid will have to do so without Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic, while David Alaba and Casemiro will face a late fitness test to assess their availability for this tie.