Real Madrid vs Manchester City: 3 things Guardiola's team must do to defeat Los Blancos

Real Madrid face Manchester City in the Champions League semi final

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: 3 things Guardiola's team must do to defeat Los Blancos

Faruq Ibrahim 22:52 - 07.05.2023

Here are three crucial things Pep Guardiola's side must do to reach the Champions League final.

No disrespect to the Milan teams, but the match between Manchester City and Real Madrid is the tie of the round, and both teams will view it as a final, as whoever wins becomes heavy favourites to lift the cup in Istanbul.

Los Blancos are the defending champions, but Manchester City are arguably the most in-form team in the world and are currently on a 10-game winning run in the Premier League. 

Both legs are expected to have a clash of titans feel to them, but Pep Guardiola's side are expected to want it more as they are going for number one, compared to Madrid's number 15. If they are to make history, here are three things they must do. 

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Be ruthless

The Cityzens are expected to have the bulk of the ball and maybe even dictate the flow of the tie, as they have done in their last two encounters against Real Madrid; however, if they are to avoid the disappointment of last season, they have to be ruthless.  

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland

In last season's semi-final, Guardiola's team missed five big chances as they suffered a shock comeback defeat to Ancelotti's charges.  

Ruthlessness is important if they are to ensure Madrid are unable to pull such a stunt on them once more.  

Keep Vinicius quiet 

Defenders in LaLiga and the Champions League so far this season have found this a herculean task. 

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Karim Benzema is the star of the team, but without a doubt, Vinicius is the spark, and he is the initiator for Real Madrid, evident in his numbers this season as he leads the competition in assists and dribbles per game.  

Vinicius tops the Champions League for dribbles per game
Vinicius tops the Champions League for dribbles per game

One of Kyle Walker or Manuel Akanji is expected to start on the right side of City's defence, and their success in keeping Vinicius at bay will be integral for the Premier League holders.  

Forget about last season 

As much as football is a physical sport, there is a lot of psychology to it too, and if City are to win this tie against a team that thrives on intangibles, they have to learn from their northern rivals, Liverpool. 

They cannot allow themselves to get caught up in a desire for revenge or occupy themselves with thoughts of how everything went wrong quickly in their last encounter. 

Manchester City might own the sobriquet "Shark Team," but Real Madrid have shown time and time again that they can smell blood. 

If City allow the emotional narratives of the occasion to get to them, Los Blancos will pounce like no other team is capable of.

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