Manchester City vs Real Madrid : A Tale of Two Cities

Written by: Rohan Sharma

No one in the world would have even thought that Real Madrid would have been drawn against Manchester City at Nyon, Switzerland on 16th December. already billed as the blockbuster clash of the season, This fixture had already generated more buzz than expected as two of the biggest clubs with the best players and coaches of the world of the lock horns in a two-legged knockout fixture with the first leg at the Bernabeu and the second leg at the Etihad.

When the draw took place there was a very different story for both the clubs:-

 Pep Guardiola led City were not very far away from Liverpool in their quest to defend their Domestic Crown i.e Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were in the form of their lives as they were unbeaten at that time and only dropped 2 points at Old Trafford and City already lost to Norwich, Wolves, United and Liverpool not to mention draws against Tottenham, Newcastle. Already losing Leroy Sane to injury in the Community Shield, City already lost some attacking edge heading to the start of the 19/20 campaign. Failure to replace club legend Vincent Kompany combined with Laporte's injury against Brighton had already left City weakened at the back and the once feared backline of City had struggled to keep clean-sheets. Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones were not convincing Centre Backs which forced Pep Guardiola to deploy Fernandinho as a Centre Back. In the UCL, it was a different story entirely. Given one of the easiest groups consisting of Shakhtar Donetsk, Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb it was a very easy path to finish as group winners along with some surprises which saw Kyle Walker being deployed as a Goalkeeper and Atalanta finishing as Runners-Up after losing the first 3 games. Thus this was the season of the English Champions before the draw. 

Meanwhile, there was a completely different story in Madrid. Real under Zinedine Zidane were enduring a tough start to the 19/20 campaign. They had a terrible pre-season where their new signings failed to impress plus they weren't shown the same kindness as City in the group stage draw as they were paired against PSG, Galatasaray and Club Brugge. They lost away to PSG in the first game and drew to Club Brugge at home. While things were not as bad in La Liga as they were tied with Barcelona on top of La Liga (2nd due to goal difference). But somehow Real have managed to turn it all around and are now joined on top of the table by Barcelona. Most impressively Thiaburt Courtois and Karim Benzema stepping up this season. So this sums up Madrid's season before the draw.

 After the draw, it was as if both teams had completely changed their form for the season. Real Madrid managed to hold on to the top spot and look like the favourites to lift the La Liga trophy this season and also look well poised to challenge in the Champions League knockouts. Meanwhile, things at the Etihad have not fared so well as Manchester City have fallen behind Champions Elect Liverpool by a staggering 22 points not to mention losing to United at the Etihad again and having recently lost to Tottenham to see themselves embroiled in a top-four battle to secure Champions League football next season. Not only has the defence been at a downfall but even Raheem Sterling appears to have lost his scoring boots which City lacked so desperately. The priority for the English Champions now is the Champions League, the trophy which has deluded Pep Guardiola for a long time now. 

With the first leg coming up at the Santiago Bernabeu it is going to surely be a battle similar to the ones we have seen in many El Clasicos, Pep's Possession based play vs Zidane's counter-attacking based play. It is going to be a very tight and cagey affair and here are my predicted lineups for the game in Madrid : 

Man City Starting XI: Ederson(Gk), Walker, Laporte, Otamendi, Mendy, Rodri, David Silva(C), De Bruyne, Sterling, Mahrez, Aguero. ( 4-3-3)

Real Madrid XI: Courtois(Gk), Marcelo, Ramos(C), Varane, Carvajal, Casemiro, Valverde, Kroos, Modric, Hazard, Benzema. (4-2-3-1)

Note: Well with Sterling injured and Sane still yet to play I think Pep will pick Sterling ahead of Sane, While there will be a good chance to see Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao battle with for their place in the starting XI. Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Isco, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr are expected to feature from the benches.

My Prediction: Looking at the line-ups and the attacking threats from each side are unmatched, I am going to be sure to say that no side will find it easy to keep a clean sheet. Well, Madrid has won this competition 13 times are much more prepared for this contest than their opponents I am going to go for a 3-2 Real Madrid win at home. 

Encounters to look out for: Laporte vs Benzema, Ramos vs Aguero, Casemiro vs De Bruyne, Carvajal vs Sterling. Truly a battle of superstars.

That's all from me today. Be sure to share this with as many people as you can. Be sure to read my Game Analysis of the first leg and Predictions and build-up for the second leg on 28th Feb.