Manchester City vs Real Madrid: 5 key battles to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2019-20
The Champions League is back in action this weekend with Manchester City hosting a formidable Real Madrid side at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg of an intriguing round-of-16 clash. Manchester City scored two crucial away goals in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this year and holds the upper hand going into this match.
Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane have had plenty of time to study each other and an interesting tactical battle is set to take place on Friday. Real Madrid must score early at the Etihad Stadium to put Manchester City under pressure and Zidane will want his superstars to create an immediate impact.
Real Madrid must overturn a 2-1 deficit against Manchester City
Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus have given Manchester City the upper hand in his fixture. Real Madrid has plenty of talent and can be lethal in the final third and Pep Guardiola will know better than to underestimate his fierce Spanish opponents.
The Catalan manager is known to study his opponents and will have plans in place for Real Madrid's most prominent attacking players. Zinedine Zidane will have to accept that Manchester City may dominate possession in the game but can take heart from the fact that with Karim Benzema in its ranks, Real Madrid can be devastating on the counter.
The tactical setup adopted by these two European giants will dictate the outcome of this game and will also give rise to several intriguing individual battles on the pitch.
#5 Gabriel Jesus vs Eder Militao
Gabriel Jesus has often found himself behind Sergio Aguero in Manchester City's squad but with the Argentine striker ruled out for the rest of the season, the onus lies on Jesus to deliver against Real Madrid.
The Brazilian striker scored a crucial opening goal in the first leg earlier this year and will be up against his compatriot Eder Militao. Zidane will be unable to avail the services of Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos after the Spaniard was sent off in the first leg.
Real Madrid will find it extremely difficult to make its way back into this match if Manchester City gets an early goal. Gabriel Jesus has not been particularly prolific this season but can potentially end Real Madrid's dreams at the Etihad Stadium.
#4 Toni Kroos vs Rodri
Toni Kroos is one of the most important parts of Zinedine Zidane's jigsaw puzzle at Real Madrid. The German maestro has shown extraordinary levels of consistency this season and will be the key to unlocking Manchester City's defence at the Etihad Stadium.
The veteran Bavarian midfielder will be up against one of the most exciting midfield talents in the world in Rodri. The Spaniard has been likened to Sergio Busquets by Pep Guardiola himself and will have to live up to that tag to stand a chance against one of Real Madrid's most experienced crusaders.
Both Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola were intelligent midfielders in their prime and it is fairly safe to assume that a large portion of this battle will be fought in the heart of the midfield. While Toni Kroos has experience on his side, Rodri can go toe-to-toe with the Real Madrid star and will not make it easy for the Los Blancos midfield.
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