UEFA Champions League group stage will kick start on Tuesday night (September 18) and one of the four matches to be played on the opening day is Real Madrid vs Manchester City. The English Premier League champions will take on Spanish Super Cup winners Real Madrid in the Champions League Group D opener at Bernabeu stadium.
Team News:
Real Madrid: Jose Mourinho's team has no injury problem but the coach has a reason to worry as his team's performance has been less than satisfactory of late. Its key player Cristiano Ronaldo's revelation that he is not happy in Real Madrid could hamper the spirit of the team.
Manchester City: Defender Maicon may make his debut for the club as Micah Richards and Pablo Zabaleta are yet to recover from injuries. Sergio Aguero and Jack Rodwell, who were out of action for a while due to injury, are expected to return for Tuesday. Coach Roberto Mancini also has the likes of David Silva and Mario Balotelli at his disposal to take on the nine-time champions.
Performances of the Teams in the Last Season:
Real Madrid made it to the semi finals while Manchester City failed to go beyond the group stage.
Match Preview:
Jose Mourinho has a reason to worry as his team's performance has been not impressive of late. The defeat to Sevilla in the ongoing La Liga on Saturday was a big shock. Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo's disappointment with the club is another setback, as it can hamper team spirit.
Manchester City reportedly spent more than Real Madrid and Barcelona on players with its owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan bringing in big names in the last few seasons. Its performance in the ongoing English Premier League is average.
Prediction: It's going to be tight match but Real Madrid have the edge over Manchester City.
Probable Line-ups:
Real Madrid: Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain
Manchester City: Joe Hart, Maicon, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Gael Clichy, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli
