08/07/2020 - 13:18
- Clarín.com
- sports
Those who wait to enter
The Manchester City bank includes Bravo, Stones, Otamendi, Eric García, Doyle, Zinchenko, Bernabe, Palmer, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez and Hardwood-Bellis. In Real Madrid, meanwhile, there are: Areola, Altube, Nacho, Javi Hernández, Marcelo, Valverde, Lucas Vázquez, Asensio, Brahim, Isco, Vinicius and Jovic. Due to the pandemic, the five modifications per team are maintained.
Ramos, on the court (but as a spectator)
An hour before the game, Sergio Ramos is the first Real Madrid player to step onto the Etihad playing field. The defender cannot play but he still traveled with the team. Behind him the goalkeeper Courtois appeared to warm up.
Two sensitive casualties
In the first leg, Real Madrid lost its captain and emblem, Sergio Ramos, who was sent off. In the resumption after the stoppage due to the coronavirus, meanwhile, Manchester City was left without Kun Agüero.
The Manchester City 11
Moments after Real Madrid, Guardiola gave his eleven: Ederson, Walker, Fernandinho, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Sterling. The Argentine Nicolás Otamendi, substitute.
The 11 of Real Madrid
Courtois, Carvajal, Varane, Militao, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Hazard, Rodrygo and Benzema are chosen by Zidane, who surprised and left Vinicius and Asensio on the substitute bench.
What do you think, Zizou?
"We know that the first leg is a disadvantage, but we are focused and we know that it is another final. We are preparing to play this match. What I can tell you is that it is going to be a good football match between two very good teams. This is the most important thing. We know the situation we are in due to the result of the first leg. There are four finals if we want to go to the end and face the first, "analyzed Zinedine Zidane in the previous press conference.
What is there to do, Pep?
"It is very difficult to analyze them because they are very good. But we will try. We have a small memory, although it has been a long time since we played the first leg, what we had talked about and we have remembered now. We saw the games they played after the lock down. But what we have tried is to talk a lot about ourselves to try to beat them. That is what we have focused on these two weeks: to talk about what we must do to beat them, "Guardiola said on the Manchester City site.
Real Madrid is doing well in England
For the Champions League, Real Madrid visited England 11 times and the statistics are in their favor. Merengue won five, drew three and lost another three and in their triumphs they beat four different teams: Manchester United, Leeds United, Liverpool and Tottenham.
The streak that City wants to maintain
In Madrid, on that distant 26 February, Manchester City achieved a valuable 2-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu. More valuable is even if you take into account that in major European tournaments, the English team surpassed their knockouts whenever they won away in the first leg.
Total parity in Manchester
City and Real Madrid played for the Etihad twice and both ended in draws. The first was in the group stage of the 2012/13 edition, which ended 1-1. The other was a 0-0 in the first leg of the 2015/16 semi-finals, which ended with the Spanish team's title by beating Atlético de Madrid.
Advantage for City
Manchester City will advance in the event of a win or a draw, while Real Madrid must win 2-0 or need to score at least three goals if the English team scores at home. The team led by Pep Guardiola won 2-1 in the first leg, played at the Santiago Bernabéu, in Madrid, on February 26.
Don't count on me, Zizou
Gareth Bale asked not to be included in the Real Madrid call for the commitment against Manchester City. "We have a respectful relationship from player to coach. He has preferred not to play. The rest is between him and me," Zidane said at the press conference on Thursday.
The previous
Real Madrid need more than ever one of their famous European comebacks this Friday at Manchester City (4pm, ESPN 2) if they do not want to be prematurely eliminated from the Champions League, their favorite competition. The 2-1 defeat in Madrid forces the Merengues to score at least two goals in this round of the round of 16 against a complicated City of Pep Guardiola to go to the round and qualify for the decisive phase of the competition to be held, completely and because of the coronavirus, in Lisbon.
