Author: Vishwajit Sawant
For the second season running, Manchester City and Real Madrid will meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Last season, City’s hopes of qualification were dashed in the final minutes of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu. This happened when substitute Rodrygo scored two goals with a fast breakthrough, followed by Karim Benzema’s goal from the penalty spot in extra time, resulting in Real Madrid winning 6-5.
This year, with City securing a place in their third consecutive semi-final with a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich, the possibility of revenge seems plausible, especially with the addition of the excellent 48-goal striker, Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, expressed his opinion on the imminent match against Real Madrid, saying: “I had the feeling that we would see them. It’s common knowledge that to win the Champions League, you have to beat Real Madrid.“
Bernardo Silva was positive about the possibility of taking revenge on the defending champions in the next semi-final on May 9 and 17. When asked about this, he said: “I hope so! We’ll certainly go ahead. We’ve always been determined, but now the team is extremely confident. I think we’ll make it.“
Former Manchester City defenders Nedum Onuoha and Joleon Lescott, along with former England defender Rio Ferdinand, have shared their thoughts on City’s upcoming Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
According to Nedum Onuoha, fans are certainly considering the chance for revenge. He also believes that if a team beats Real Madrid in this competition, they should believe they can win it all. He added that City knew they were going to the final last year, but the last minute cost them dearly.
Lescott acknowledged Real Madrid’s exceptional nature, pointing out that despite not performing well last year, they managed to turn the game around in just 12 minutes. He believes that Real Madrid have a lot of confidence in their ability to play in this competition and that, if they get enough chances, they’ll convert them into goals. However, the current Manchester City team possesses a unique strength in its defensive capabilities that has not been seen in previous City teams.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand said that City “have to win” and added: “The talk in both dressing rooms will be: if we win, we won’t have a better opportunity to win the Champions League. If you win that, you win, no disrespect to the other teams.“
The winners of the semi-final will face either AC Milan or Inter in the final, which will be played in Istanbul on June 10.