The UEFA Champions League semi-final stage begins this week, with the four remaining teams fighting it out for ultimate glory in Europe’s flagship club tournament.
Manchester City, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are the four clubs vying to be European champions, and this week will see the first leg semi-finals clashes taking place.
The semi-final first leg between Man City and Real Madrid will take place in England, with the Citizens, who have been in impressive form recently, welcoming the Galacticos for an encounter that will put the pressure squarely on the English side.
City need to ensure a good result in the first leg, as the return match in Spain will be a highly charged affair with the Madrid faithful getting behind their team in emphatic fashion. If Madrid manage an away goal or two in Manchester, it will be extremely difficult for the home side to turn things around when they travel to Spain next week.
With Cristiano Ronaldo in incredible form in the Madrid attack, he will be a key man for Man City to subdue, but Karim Benzema has also been a handful for defenders of late, and will need to be paid attention to.
The Citizens pose a serious threat through Sergio Aguero, who has found the back of the net consistently in recent matches, and he will be itching to do the same against the famed Spaniards from Madrid.
On the injury front Manchester City will be without the services of midfielder Yaya Toure, as he has a muscular problem, while Madrid will not be able to use the suspended Lazo on Tuesday night.
The Champions League semi-final between German champions Bayern Munich and Spanish club Atletico Madrid begins will the German leg, as the Spanish side welcome the illustrious team known as FC Hollywood.
A return leg in Munich will mean a difficult time for Atleti, so they will be aiming to make the most of this first leg on Wednesday. Atletico managed to dispose of tournament favourites Barcelona in the previous round, and they are the dark horse team that continues to surprise.
In addition to the motivation of beating the Germans to reach the UEFA Champions League final, Atleti are aware that their bitter rivals Real Madrid currently face Manchester City in the other Champions League semi-final, with the possibility of reaching the final themselves.
This would set up a Madrid derby in the title match, and a fiery encounter which will be a must-win, as well as an opportunity for revenge following the final of a few years ago, when the Galacticos emerged victorious.
Tiago and Godin will miss the Bayern match through injury, while the Germans will be withut Arjen Robben and Badstuber. Rode and Jerome Boateng may also miss Wednesday’s encounter for Bayern, as they are doubtful at the moment.
