Manchester City’s second pre-season clash will see them face-off against Spanish champions Real Madrid in Los Angeles
English powerhouse Manchester City and Spanish champions Real Madrid will both be keen to pick up their first victories of the tournament after City lost 2-0 to Manchester United in their opening game and Real lost out on penalties to Jose Mourinho’s squad as well.
City boss Pep Guardiola has endured a busy couple of weeks as he managed to strengthen Manchester City’s defence by signing Benjamin Mendy, Danilo and Kyle Walker. He will be hoping that his renewed defensive forces help City register a win against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, enjoyed a sensational season last term as they picked up the La Liga trophy as well as the coveted Champions League trophy. Their luck in the pre-season tour hasn’t been too good so far but they will be hoping to convert this into a victory to maintain their good form.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
City will hope to have new signings Danilo and Benjamin Mendy available for the match as they are believed to be training in LA with the squad. Ilkay Gundogan is unlikely to play while David Silva is expected to recover in time to play the match.
Youngster Phil Foden received a lot of praise for a superb first-team debut against Manchester United in Houston, and is likely to be given another high-profile opportunity against Real Madrid. Although the attacking midfielder was in top-form, City looked shoddy against United and Guardiola will be determined to change that.
The latest arrivals in the squad mean Guardiola now has plenty of options at the back as he looks to get City back in form ahead of the new Premier League campaign and it will be interesting to see how he deploys his troops against Zinedine Zidane’s European champions.
This match will be especially important so Manchester City are likely to put up a strong attacking performance to keep Real on their toes. City will have to be wary of Real’s midfielders but with the added power in the defence, Guardiola’s men are likely to put up a tough fight.
Predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo; David Silva, Toure, De Bruyne; Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Gabriel Jesus
Real Madrid
Real have no fresh injury concerns ahead of this game but star-striker Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature since he is still on vacation following Portugal’s Confederations Cup campaign.
In the wake of the first game of their pre-season tour against Manchester United, the Real Madrid squad will be extra-determined to crush City and post a convincing victory. They came into the pre-season matches after a scintillating season in the previous term but have failed to keep up the momentum.
Zinedine Zidane’s charges will need to focus on maintaining possession and pressure in reduced spaces since only then can they expect to defeat Pep Guardiola’s side. Their defence will be quite strong now since they have several able players as back-ups.
The Spanish champions flourished last season especially due to their sneaky counter-attacks and pressing midfield moves which made even the best teams look weak. Los Blancos will look to repeat a similar performance against City to ensure they have a good win before the upcoming season starts as they will have to stronger than ever.
Predicted lineup (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo; Modric, Kroos, Isco; Lucas Vazquez, Benzema, Bale
Key Stats
City lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in May 2016 following a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League semi-final -Fernando’s 20th-minute own goal proved enough for Real to reach the final last year – so this will be their chance to record a victory against the European champions.
Prediction
Manchester City 1 – 2 Real Madrid
This match is a tough one to call considering both teams will be equally hungry for a win as they have a lot to prove. That is especially true in Real Madrid’s case but will they have what it takes to beat Manchester City?
City definitely look a lot tougher after Guardiola’s new reinforcements and that could just provide them with an upper edge over the European champions. If City manage to beat them, it will provide a glimpse of what the Premier League clubs can expect next season.
If City have a strong defence now, Real are known for their strong attacking plays and midfield prowess. Ultimately, it will be a game of tactics as Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola try to out-think each other. Having said that, the match is likely to end in a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid.
