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UEFA Champions League Semifinals: Real Madrid vs Manchester City

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UEFA Champions League Semifinals: Real Madrid vs Manchester City

The road to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League is not easy. And, finally, today the action continues with an epic match between two great teams: Real Madrid and Manchester City. Keep reading for the match details, picks, predictions and more.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

  • Time: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 2:45 PM ET

Bet on Real Madrid

Real Madrid tread on shaky ground, after having lost the first leg against Wolfsburg in the last round. However, behind the abilities of the Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Spaniards pulled through at Bernabeu. Ronaldo scored the hat trick and with that led the team to the semis.

Cristiano, however, might not be at full strength for this match after suffering an injury to his hamstring last week. Of course, everyone is expecting to see Ronaldo play against the team that saw thrust his to fame, but at this point in the competition what’s obviously more important is to win.

Real is not short on talent though and whether it’s Bale, Benzema, or any other player, they should be able to compensate for Ronaldo’s possible absence.

It should be noted that Benzema might also be ailing from injury, so head coach Zinedine Zidane might choose not to play Ronaldo or Benzema the full time and rather go with Bale, James and Jese as a strategy. Because they’re playing away from home, Real will likely be aggressive in the attack in hopes of acquiring a valuable away goal.

Bet on Manchester City

City has momentum on its side, after having come away with five wins and two draws in their last seven games, including the defeat of the French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

With Kevin De Bruyne’s return, Man City has come alive and expectations are high for the Citizens to reach the UEFA finals. The joint force of De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero has proven deadly effective in finding the back of the net and cutting through opposing defenses and should prove to be an good weapon against Madrid.

De Bruyne has still not seen action against Madrid, but after being rested in City’s match against Stoke, he should be ready to go. To complete the mid-field, Manuel Pellegrini could go either with David Silva and Yaya Toure, two able players that open up the field and can cut through Real’s somewhat shaky defense. However, he could also go with Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas at mid.

Another possibility that would help City is the return of captain Vincent Kompany. If company plays, it would be a huge morale boost for the Citizens. Regardless, Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi have filled in nicely at City’s backfield and have only allowed one goal in their last four matches.

Game Predictions: Both teams find the back of the net, but this is setting up to be Manchester City's night if Aguero and De Bruyne aggressively attack Madrid’s defense. Both Aguero and De Bruyne will score a goal a piece and lead Man City to a win at Etihad Stadium.

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