A duel at high altitude is about to animate Madrid and the Santiago-Bernabéu. Real receives Manchester City this Tuesday evening, in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League (9 p.m.). On one side, Madrid and its fourteen continental crowns. On the other, the Citizens, at the top of the Premier League, and who remain on a series of ten consecutive victories in the league.
But are City really ready to finally approach the title in this competition? “That, you have to ask Pep,” replied Monday with a smile Luis Figo, present in Paris as part of the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony of which he is the ambassador. And added: “I think City are one of the best teams in the world right now, they play very good football. (…) Now they have experience and they know what not to do so as not to relive the defeat of last year”.
Guardiola’s men will notably find Rodrygo, author of a double this Saturday in the King’s Cup final, and who had been their nightmare in 2022, leading to their elimination from the competition. The Brazilian had scored twice at the very end of the match, completely reviving the people of Madrid who had ended up winning (3-1), thanks to a penalty converted by Karim Benzema.
Distance duel between Haaland and Benzema
Manchester City will try to ward off fate, but Carlo Ancelotti, on the Real bench, has the experience of these big meetings. “They play against the best club in history in the Champions League and sometimes the weight of history helps you (…). In this competition, Real Madrid is always alive until the last second,” added Luis Figo.
His former teammate Claude Makélélé, also ambassador of the Laureus World Sports Awards abounds. “For me, Real is still the best club in the world and I remain a Real fan,” he first said, before acknowledging that the Mancunians were leaving with an advantage. “It will be a big game, Manchester City is now at the level to win a trophy like the Champions League, he explained. (…) They now have the best team, it is more compact, more solid defensively”.
“They know how to handle these kinds of matches, Guardiola learned a lot about that too, he finally added. (…) Manchester City needed this experience. They are more mature today, they deserve it”. The meeting will also be an opportunity to observe a major attacking duel: Erling Haaland for City, against Karim Benzema for the White House. The first named, 22, has 12 goals in the Champions League this season and is aiming for Cristiano Ronaldo’s record (17 goals in one season). The second, 35, has just won his 25th title with Real, making him the most successful Madrid player in history with Marcelo. Beyond victory and a first step towards the Champions League final, both will be keen to score points in the race for the Ballon d’Or.
