Match details:

UEFA Champions League, 2021-22
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date. April 27, 2022
Kick-off: 12:30 am IST

Preview:

Manchester City will face off with Real Madrid in the semifinal round first leg game of the UEFA Champions League at Etihad Stadium, Manchester in England. In the last quarterfinal encounter of the Champions League, Manchester City have beaten Atletico Madrid by an aggregate scoreline of 1-0. On the other hand, Real Madrid also succeeded to secure a win against Chelsea by an aggregate scoreline of 5-4 win in the last quarterfinal Champions League game.

After examining the recent form and statistics of these two sides, Manchester City are the clear favourites to secure a win in this encounter but we can expect goals from both ends of the pitch.

Head to Head record:

Manchester City: 3
Real Madrid: 3
Draw: 2

Suspension, Not available & Injured:

Manchester City:

Joao Cancelo (Suspended), Benjamin Mendy, John Stones (Doubtful)

Real Madrid:

Luka Jovic (Injured), Eden Hazard (Injured), Mariano Diaz (Injured)

Probable starting line-up:

Manchester City(4-3-3):

Ederson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez

Real Madrid(4-3-3):

Thibaut Courtois, Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Vincius Junior

Top picks:

Riyad Mahrez: Manchester Citys attacking forward has scored 6 goals along with an assist in the Champions League this season. He has also scored 11 goals and claimed 5 assists in the Premier League this season. He has an average of 3.2 shots per game on goal with a successful passing percentage of 87. He is a clear choice for captaincy in your small league fantasy teams.

Karim Benzema: Real Madrids attacking forward has scored 12 goals and an assist in the Champions League this season. He has also managed to score 25 goals and provided 11 assists in La Liga this season. He has an average of 4.3 shots per game on goal with a successful passing percentage of 83. He is a differential pick for captaincy in this encounter.

Raheem Sterling: Manchester Citys attacking forward has scored 3 goals along with 2 assists in the Champions League this season. He has also managed to score 10 goals and 3 assists in the Premier League this season. He has an average of 1.5 shots per game on goal with a successful passing percentage of 90. He is a must-have pick in your small league fantasy teams.

Vincius Junior: Real Madrids attacking forward has scored 2 goals and claimed 6 assists in the Champions League this season. He has also managed to score 14 goals and 8 assists in La Liga this season. He has an average of 2.1 shots per game on goal with a successful passing percentage of 83. He is a must-have pick in your small league fantasy teams.

Choices for captain and vice-captain:

Riyad Mahrez, Karim Benzema, Raheem Sterling, Vincius Junior

Score prediction for the Small League:

Manchester City(3-1)Real Madrid

Team combination:

Preferable contest: Head to Head, Small league up to 10 members.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are of the author and are not a reflection of the actual points you might earn.