Real Madrid vs Manchester City: 5 key battles to watch out for | Champions League 2021-22 semi-final 2nd leg
Last Tuesday (April 26), Manchester City and Real Madrid played a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final first-leg at the Etihad Stadium. The hosts came out on top by the narrowest of margins, sealing a 4-3 win over Los Blancos.
On Wednesday (May 4), the two teams will meet again, this time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, to settle the tie once and for all.
Both Real Madrid and Manchester City are filled to the brim with top-quality players and individuals who can single-handedly determine the outcome of a game.
Here, we will focus on 10 superstars and five battles that could have a massive impact on the outcome of Wednesday’s crunch Champions League clash.
Now, without further ado, let us check out five key battles to keep an eye on in Madrid’s Champions League semi-final second leg against City.
#5 Riyad Mahrez vs Ferland Mendy
Manchester City right-winger Riyad Mahrez set up Kevin De Bruyne’s opening goal in the first leg. He effortlessly cut in from the right flank time and again, popping up in dangerous areas to punish Real Madrid’s backline.
Ferland Mendy failed to do the needful in the first leg, struggling to keep up with Mahrez’s mazy runs. The French full-back will need to bring his A-game to make amends for his sub-par showing in the previous leg.
Mahrez making demands of Twitter's new owner 😅 https://t.co/VfbM0bwog8
Mahrez, on the other hand, will look to be more clinical in front of goal this week. He squandered multiple decent opportunities in the first leg, which, if converted, would have put Manchester City in the driving seat.
The battle out wide at the Bernabeu is set to be a fascinating one.
#4 Gabriel Jesus vs Casemiro
Gabriel Jesus is the most in-form Manchester City player right now. The Brazilian has scored seven goals in his last four starts across competitions, including one in the first leg back in Manchester.
Unless Pep Guardiola reverts to a false-nine system, Jesus should find himself on the starting XI this Wednesday. However, unlike last week, the 25-year-old could have a hard time waltzing into the Real Madrid box.
| Kroos, Casemiro, Modric will be the midfield trio vs Manchester City. @diarioas #UCL #rmalive
🚨| Kroos, Casemiro, Modric will be the midfield trio vs Manchester City. @diarioas #UCL #rmalive https://t.co/pbZtuE1yMi
Los Merengues’ defensive-midfielder Casemiro did not feature in the first leg as he was not fit enough for such high-octane football. Thankfully for the Whites, Casemiro played in the title-deciding La Liga victory over Espanyol last weekend and is set to start against City this week.
With Casemiro shielding the backline, his compatriot Jesus might find it quite difficult to engineer openings, something he did effortlessly in the first leg.
#3 Vinicius Junior vs Joao Cancelo
Manchester City were without Joao Cancelo in the first leg in Manchester, with the full-back serving a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
In his absence, Pep Guardiola started with John Stones at right-back. Unfortunately, he picked up an injury and was eventually replaced by Fernandinho in the first half.
Real Madrid left-winger Vinicius Junior was waiting in the wings to make an impact, which he finally did following Fernandinho’s introduction. The youngster opened up space behind Fernandinho with an ingenious dummy, dashed down the left flank, and slotted the ball past City keeper Ederson.
Jarrod Bowen on the toughest defender he's played against:
"[João] Cancelo. He was horrible to play against, he was so quick. He's good at defending, I thought he'd just be attack-minded but defensively he's hard to get past." [@cnnsport] https://t.co/i53aocC6GG
Guardiola will have Cancelo back with the team this week and is expected to deploy him as his right-back. With him guarding the flank, Vinicius could have a hard time stretching his legs.
Expect plenty of tussles between one of the best right-backs and a potent left-winger on Wednesday night.
#2 Luka Modric vs Kevin De Bruyne
Last week, there was only one winner between the two midfield maestros. Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne comfortably outshone Luka Modric, who, in all honesty, did not seem to be at his best.
The Belgian not only opened the scoring for the hosts but also set up Gabriel Jesus’ goal only a few minutes later in the first leg.
Modric, on the other hand, often found himself burdened with defensive responsibilities and failed to make the desired impact.
Kevin de Bruyne showed Modric who the best midfielder in the world is. https://t.co/Cmq58LE92Z
In the second leg, Real Madrid are set to welcome Casemiro back into the fold, meaning neither Modric nor Toni Kroos would’ve major defensive responsibilities.
With the combative Brazilian shielding the backline, it would not be surprising to see Modric back to his best again at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The battle between Modric and De Bruyne could very well dictate the flow of the game and the tie.
#1 Karim Benzema vs Ruben Dias
Real Madrid’s leading goalscorer of the season, Karim Benzema, is arguably the most in-form forward in the world right now. Following consecutive hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, the Frenchman once again produced the goods last week, scoring a brace against City in the semi-final first leg.
Had it not been for his strikes in the 33rd and 82nd minutes, respectively, Manchester City would’ve been massive favorites to play in the final.
Karim Benzema · Road to the Ballon D'Or 2022 https://t.co/0DdU2ssnH3
Ruben Dias, the 2021 'Premier League Player of the Year', could not contain the 34-year-old livewire last week. The centre-back is likely to keep a closer eye on the forward and try to stop him from drifting into dangerous areas on Wednesday.
Of course, keeping a lid on Benzema is easier said than done, but Dias certainly has the quality to make it happen.
Also Read: Real Madrid superstar 'practically ruled out' for UCL showdown against Manchester City - Reports