Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, second leg football match between Bayern Munich and Manchester City in Munich, southern Germany on April 19, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
Karim Benzema and Erling Haaland will be key in tonight’s mouthwatering Champions League semifinal between Real Madrid and Man City.
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland celebrates scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, second leg football match between Bayern Munich and Manchester City in Munich, southern Germany on April 19, 2023. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)
The most decorated team in European football history faces arguably the best team in the world right now. Real Madrid vs Man City in the Champions League semi-final is a match you simply cannot miss. Can Los Blancos stop Erling Haaland?
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Real have fallen away in the LaLiga title race and now have all their eggs in the Campions League basket. City, meanwhile, are still in the hunt for a treble and lead the Premier League with four matches to play after winning 10 EPL games on the bounce. They’re in frightening form.
If anyone can stop them then surely it’s the 14-time European champions Real Madrid. These sides met in last season’s semi-finals too, producing a classic which Madrid eventually won 6-5 on aggregate. Karim Benzema scored three of those 11 goals and Brazilian winger Rodrygo netted twice in two minutes to break City hearts in the second leg at the death of regular time.
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City have a new defensive shape with four central defenders at the back and John Stones inverting into midfield. That’s helped them become one of the best defensive units on the planet, and at the other end, Erling Haaland is scoring goals for fun. The Norwegian now has 52 goals across all competitions this season.
Courtois; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modrić; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinícius Jr.
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Rodri, Gündoğan, De Bruyne; Silva, Haaland, Grealish
Kickoff is tonight at 9pm. This first leg at the Bernabéu should be an absolute treat.
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