PREDICTED LINEUP - REAL MADRID VS MANCHESTER CITY - WALKER AND DE BRUYNE START, FODEN ON THE BENCH

Image courtesy of thetimes.co.uk

Manchester City are back in action, facing arguably their biggest test of the season to date, as they take on holders and 14 time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

City will travel to Madrid in sparkling form, having won 15 of their last 16 matches in all competitions, with the only draw being their quarter final Champions League tie away to Bayern Munich, where a 1-1 draw was enough for the Blues to comfortably progress after a scintillating 3-0 victory over the German Champions at the Etihad Stadium.

Both clubs will be boosted by positive news over injury concerns surrounding their key midfielders. For the home side, 37 year old Croatian international Luka Modric, who is widely considered as one of the greatest central midfielders of all time, has made a remarkable recovery from a hamstring injury to recover for this one; however, whether or not he can play the full game remains to be seen, given he only played 8 minutes off the bench as a substitute in their 2-1 Copa del Rey final victory over Osasuna on Saturday evening.

For City, Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne completed 90 minutes at the weekend in the 2-1 home victory against Leeds United, on his return after two games out with "niggles in his leg," according to Guardiola. He seemed to emerge unscathed, meaning he'll likely be fit to play from the off.

Both teams will also be missing a key defender however. For Madrid, Brazilian centre back Eder Militao is definitely out due to a suspension leading to an accumulation of yellow cards in previous matches. For Pep Guardiola's side, it is Nathan Ake who misses out, after not being named in City's travelling squad. It would appear that he suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury against Leeds United that forced him off in City's last Champions League game against Bayern Munich.

Ake will be a huge blow for City, as he is a determined and solid defender, who would undeniably limit the impact Real Madrid right wing Rodrygo would have on the game. However, Manuel Akanji has kept the likes of Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane and - most notably - Bukayo Saka quiet when playing at full back this season. Guardiola has a great amount of trust in the Swiss international, which should be good enough for any City fan doubting him.

A draw would by no means be a bad result, as many pundits and neutral fans predict a victory for City at the Etihad Stadium. Obviously, a win in the first leg is not out of the question, as they showed in 2020, as goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin de Bruyne helped City to a 2-1 victory over a poor Real Madrid side at the Bernabeu.

Former Manchester United and England player Wayne Rooney predicted that City wouldn't just beat Real Madrid over the two legs, but that they would "destroy them." That would be in the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic City fan, but, ultimately, the set of players at our disposal is good enough to outclass any team in the world, as shown by the recent resounding victories over Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

Over the two games last season, City thoroughly beat Real Madrid, and should've scored at least 10 goals over the two games. This was City's downfall, as usually reliable finishers such as Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Jack Grealish missed numerous opportunities to extend the lead. Real Madrid hit City with a late sucker punch, and, ultimately, went through to the final undeservedly.

Since last season, City have become much better at playing against expansive teams such as Real Madrid, mostly down to the summer signing of Erling Haaland. City's tactics are now more adapted around making the most of empty space and transitions, especially against big sides, and Haaland's ruthlessness in front of goal should hopefully mean that City tuck away most of their chances.

As well as this, City do not have the defensive injury crisis that they did this time last year, where the Blues had to play the first leg without Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and Joao Cancelo due to injury and suspension, and had to play defensive midfielder Fernandinho at right back, after injury to John Stones midway through the first half.

Real Madrid are a good side, but, ultimately, City are better - so, as long as they finish the majority of their chances and limit opportunities for Madrid, then they should hopefully find themselves playing in their second Champions League final in three years.

Numerous City players, such as Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish, have been speaking to the media with confidence and assurance before the tie, showing that City are thoroughly prepared, and are in the right mindset to go and play the mighty Real Madrid at their own game.

Here is the predicted line up for the monumental clash in Madrid: Ederson will start in goal for City, after failing to keep a clean sheet in his last game against Leeds United, as City conceded a consolation goal late on.

Vinicius Junior for Real Madrid is one of the most direct, pacey and skilful wingers in world football. As such, we expect the vastly experienced - and equally fast - Kyle Walker to start at right back for this one, as he showed in last year's match that even when half fit, he could keep Vinicius quiet. We expect the formidable partnership of City's last run to the Champions League final, John Stones and Ruben Dias, to start as the centre backs, with the former to drop into midfield when in possession to help City gain control. At left back, we think it'll be the solid Manuel Akanji, who's aggressive playing style is perfect for winning ground duels, which will be vital for keeping Rodrygo quiet.

Rodri, who came off the bench against Leeds United very late on to make his 200th appearance for City, will undoubtedly start at the base of midfield, where he'll look to impose himself on a midfield containing the likes of Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Ahead of him will be club captain Ilkay Gundogan, coming off the back of a fine performance at the weekend, in a more familiar left sided 8 position, and Kevin de Bruyne as the right sided 8, who'll be looking to push forward and support the striker when City have the ball in transition.

Given that he was allowed a rare rest at the weekend, and that his recent performances on the right wing mean he's too good to miss out of the side completely, expect to see Bernardo Silva start out wide for City, as he'll look to torment Real Madrid's left back with his mazy dribbling, and offer a pressing option out of possession. On the left wing, Jack Grealish, who thrives with space in between the lines to drive into, should start, especially considering he was given a complete rest at the weekend.

Up front, despite the number of chances he missed against Leeds, it would be unthinkable to drop Erling Haaland for the biggest game of the season to date. Haaland tends to turn up when it really matters, especially in the Champions League, and you'd expect him to crop up with a goal or an assist in this one.

This will leave Stefan Ortega-Moreno, Scott Carson, Rico Lewis, Aymeric Laporte, Sergio Gomez, Kalvin Phillips, Maximo Perrone, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez waiting in the ranks, hoping to change the game if needs be.

CMON CITY !!!