Holders Real Madrid travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in a blockbuster Champions League playoff first-leg tie on Tuesday evening.
Los Blancos, who notched their record-extending 15th crown at Wembley last May, finished outside the top eight in the new Champions League format’s group stage despite beating Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg and FC Brest in their final three league-phase games.
Failure to earn a direct entry into the knockouts of the competition still represents underperformance for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and they could pay a hefty price after being pitted against Manchester City. They head to Manchester off the back of a 1-1 La Liga draw with cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend.
Real Madrid were dealt a blow last week when Lucas Vazquez suffered a new hamstring injury. He joins Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines and will miss the game against Man City.
Predicted Real Madrid lineup vs Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Thibaut Courtois is Real Madrid’s undisputed No.1 and should start against Manchester City.
Defence
Carlo Ancelotti will be forced to field a patched-up defence owing to an injury crisis. Young Raul Asencio will start alongside Aurelien Tchouameni at the heart of the backline, and they will face the tough task of containing goal machine Erling Haaland.
Federico Valverde is likely to deputise for the injured Lucas Vazquez at right-back, with Ferland Mendy functioning from the left-back position. Madrid’s defence have to be at their very best to come out of the Etihad Stadium with a clean sheet.
Midfield
Eduardo Camavinga will perhaps act as a shield for Madrid’s back four, trying to cut Manchester City’s attacks and laying a foundation for his team’s creative talents to flourish. The Frenchman could be partnered by midfield maestro Luka Modric, who will be responsible for keeping things calm and ticking in the middle of the park.
Jude Bellingham should act as the creative glue between midfield and attack, but on Tuesday, he has to put in more work off the ball. Arda Guler and Dani Ceballos should be options on the bench.
Attack
In Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, Madrid have a fiery front three that can rip apart any defence. Given Manchester City’s shoddy defending over the last few months, the trio will be confident of running at City’s defence and causing all sorts of problems.
Mbappe should spearhead the visitors’ attack, flanked by tricksters in Vinicius and Rodrygo. Endrick and Brahim Diaz could be introduced off the bench for extra spice in attack if required.