Real Madrid take on Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals having met in both of the last two editions, with the victor ending up as champions of the whole competition. Few would bet against that being the case this time round again.
Los Blancos pulled off a miracle during their 2022 clash, scoring twice in the final minutes to take the game to extra time, before winning in extra time. Meanwhile last year’s clash saw Manchester City destroy Real Madrid at the Eithad in remarkable fashion, but as Carlo Ancelotti looks to slot the most decorated club in European football into yet another semi-final, things are looking a lot more even than they have before.
Manchester City, for one, are looking much more vulnerable, with injuries to Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker further complicating matters for Pep Guardiola. The latter was lauded for his performance against Vinicius Junior last season, one of the keys to their victory. Meanwhile Erling Haaland has looked a lot more human in recent months, and City are engaged in a three-way battle for the Premier League title, rather than their usual steamrolling of the competition.
Meanwhile Real Madrid look much healthier than they did last season, in spite of the injuries. Karim Benzema’s presence was somewhat ephemeral last season, both within and for games, and he has been replaced by Jude Bellingham this season. It feels as if this is a more rounded Real Madrid, with a more comprehensive gameplan and one that has fixed their defensive issues from last season. They hold a healthy lead in La Liga too.
Yet injuries to David Alaba and Thibaut Courtois, as well as a lack of match fitness mean that Carlo Ancelotti is likely to field either the ageing and out of form Nacho Fernandez or the makeshift central defender in Aurelien Tchouameni to deal with Haaland in the first leg. While their defensive numbers domestically are reason to believe too, their Round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig, and the 7 goals conceded in the group stages suggest that perhaps those numbers are concealing a vulnerability. The Barcelona challenge domestically is also much weaker than it was last campaign.
Given the general improvement in Real Madrid as a team, but perhaps the decrease in decisive quality on the pitch, following the exits of Casemiro, Benzema, and decline of Luka Modric, mean it will be a tricky strategy for Ancelotti to put into place. The Italian must work out just how much he wants to play to their strengths, and how much he wants to counter Manchester City’s virtues, but neither side look as indomitable as they have in recent years.
