Manchester City players will be on high alert when they face Real Madrid on Tuesday. They know that one lapse in concentration could change the game.
That’s what happened to City when they played Real in last season’s semi-final. They were in full control of the tie heading into the 90th minute of the second leg… and they still didn’t go through.
We know this Real team can score a goal out of nothing and, especially in the first leg at the Bernabeu, City have to be extremely careful.
The first game was very open when they met last year but, this time, we might see City start out by trying to be tighter defensively.
That means keeping Vinicius Jr quiet and Pep Guardiola has to make two big decisions – who will go up against the Brazil winger on the right for City, and who will play further forward on the same flank.
The choice in defense is really between Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji, but if Nathan Ake does not recover from the injury he sustained against Leeds on Saturday then it is possible Pep’s mind will be made up for him.
