Real Madrid may not have played in La Liga yesterday, but Barcelona's loss to Rayo Vallecano puts them in a strong position to win the league. All they need to do this weekend is avoid a loss against Espanyol, and Carlo Ancelotti will become the first manager to win a league title in each of the top five leagues. However, he has other matters to attend to first.
Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals at the Etihad Stadium in northwest England. It is a rematch of the 2019/20 round of 16, in which City triumphed.
While it is not unreasonable to regard Madrid as the underdogs in this encounter, they have exploited that label in the previous two rounds to pull off stunning comebacks against PSG and Chelsea. Both teams, on the other hand, are coming into this match on a roll. Los Blancos defeated Osasuna 1-3 away from home, and it might have been a lot worse had Karim Benzema not missed two penalties.
With a fantastic effort against Watford, City did achieve the 5-1 scoreline Madrid was going for. Gabriel Jesus was the man of the match with four goals and an assist.
Carlo Ancelotti's side is traveling with a full squad but without key players such as David Alaba and Casemiro due to injury.
The starters
Alaba was injured throughout the week, but his presence in the Madrid backline is too vital to overlook. He should be one of the defensive quartet's two center-backs, with Eder Militao likely to be the other.
Thibaut Courtois, who begins in the six-yard box, will be screened by these two. The Belgian has been one of Europe's greatest goalkeepers this season and, on his alone, can make or break a game for Real Madrid.
While there are some doubts about Ferland Mendy's health, the Frenchman is much too important to start from the bench in such an important match. He'll almost certainly start at left-back.
Dani Carvajal starts at right-back over Lucas Vazquez.
In such a high-stakes game, the midfield selects itself. Luka Modric was sidelined for the Osasuna game, but he should return, filling the right trident spot.
Toni Kroos came off the bench, as Casemiro was sidelined with an injury. They will join Modric in his quest to disrupt City's complete domination.
There are no concerns about the center-forward as Karim Benzema looks to prolong his fantastic run of form. This season, he has scored 12 goals in the UCL, seven of which have come in the knockout stages.
His rapport with Vinicius Jr. will be crucial in this game, especially with Kyle Walker out. The Brazilian will start on the left side of the front three, with Federico Valverde filling in at the right flank.
Predicted lineup:
Vinicius · Benzema · Valverde
Kroos · Casemiro · Modric
Mendy · Alaba · Militao · Carvajal
Courtois
The Bench;
Eduardo Camavinga
Rodrygo
Vazquez
Marco Asensio
Dani Ceballos
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