Real Madrid play Manchester City on Tuesday evening.
It’s the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and it will take place at the Etihad Stadium. It’s set to be a thrilling classic between two of the finest teams in European football.
Madrid knocked Paris Saint-Germain out in the last 16 before beating Chelsea in the quarter-final to make it this far, both ties as dramatic as can be. City dismantled Sporting Club de Portugal in the last 16 before coming through a gruelling encounter with Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final. Both sides are tough indeed.
And they’ve also met recently. City beat Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League back in 2020, part of the mini-tournament that took place in Lisbon at the height of the pandemic. Much has changed for both teams since then, of course.
“In 2020 it was a very close tie, decided by the details,” Pep Guardiola said pre-match in comments carried by Marca. “What I’ve seen from Madrid, especially in the last round, is that they have players with character.
“What I like most of all is that amidst the difficulty, at 3-0 down, they have players who raise their hand and say here I am. The ball doesn’t scare them at 3-0 down. It does others, but not them. [Luka] Modric and [Toni] Kroos. [Dani] Carvajal, [David] Alaba and [Karim] Benzema. They ask for it.”
Much has been made of this throughout this European campaign; Madrid’s ability to dig deep and produce the remarkable. They came from behind to beat both PSG and Chelsea and have a European pedigree that’s second to none.
“If we have to play against their history we won’t stand a chance,” Guardiola said. “They’re better at that. But we have desire to compete against them, it’s an incredible test.
“We have to suffer together when we’re under pressure and attack when we have the ball. It’s the same as if we were playing against Bayern [Munich] or Barcelona, teams that have been here many times. In the last decade we’re getting here. That’s good.”