Three reasons why Real Madrid is guaranteed to lose UEFA Champions League second leg against Manchester City
The teams play each other in the second leg on May 17.
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Manchester City's Ruben Dias and Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. battling for the ball. (Credits: ESPN)
Real Madrid and Manchester City played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal. Despite their dominance in the competition, there are a few reasons for Los Blancos fans to be pessimistic ahead of next week’s game.
Real Madrid’s poor record at the Etihad Stadium is one of the most significant reasons for concern. The Spanish giants have never won a game at the Etihad, which will undoubtedly be playing on their minds as they prepare for the second leg. They will be acutely aware that they will need to produce an extraordinary performance to break their duck and secure a result that will take them through to the final.
Another cause for concern is the formidable home record of Manchester City in the Champions League. The English side has not lost a game at the Etihad in this competition since 2018. This fact alone will give City plenty of confidence heading into the second leg, and they will be looking to capitalize on their home advantage and secure their place in the final.
Pep Guardiola’s men have been in an indomitable form on home turf this season. Out of the 16 matches they have played at home, they have lost only once and drawn once. They have also scored 59 goals in the process. This, coupled with Real Madrid’s dismal away record of six losses in 17 away games, it can be safely presumed that Ancelotti’s men would have to play out of their skin to register a win against the mighty Cityzens.
Perhaps the most worrying statistic for Real Madrid fans is that the club has never reached the Champions League final after drawing the first leg of a semifinal at home. This history means that the odds are not in their favor, and they will need to produce an exceptional performance to overturn this trend and make it to the final.
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Jamie Carragher heaps praise on Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior “goes higher up the list” of the finest players in the world, according to Jamie Carragher, who quipped that if he had scored a second goal against Manchester City, he would be rated the best in the world.
He said, “Vinicius Jr, he comes inside because Camavinga is on that overlap and I mean, what a strike that is. I said before the game, he’s in the top five players in the world, any time I watch him play, he goes higher up that list.” Micah Richards then jumped in and asked: “Top two now?” Carragher responded jokingly, saying: “Mmm… he’ll be top one if he gets another one!”
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Anany Kapoor
(105 Articles Published)