One of the Champions League’s newest rivalries resumes this week with Real Madrid hoping to take advantage of the extended rest they had ahead of Tuesday’s quarter final against Manchester City. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, entering his record-extending 200th Champions League 2023-2024 match, has had eight full days to prepare his squad for facing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for the third straight Year in the knockout rounds of Europe’s top club competition.
City, meanwhile, played on Saturday at Crystal Palace in the English Premier League and Guardiola wasn’t happy about the considerable difference in the teams’ preparation time.
Madrid’s last Spanish league match was on March 31, a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao. Madrid didn’t have to play this past weekend as the Spanish calendar was reserved for the Copa del Rey final.
Madrid eliminated City two seasons ago with a late comeback in the second leg of the semi-finals at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where they have not lost in 27 straight games in all competitions dating back to last April.
Milestone Man:
Ancelotti arrives as the coach with the most Champions League titles (four) and victories (114). And he will be reaching his milestone 200th game in charge at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.
It will be the 59th game in the Madrid dugout for the 64-year-old Italian, who is in his 21st Champions League season 2023-2024.
“It’s as big achievement,” he said. “I remember my first game, it was against Sparta Prague when I was at Parma. Reaching 200 games means a lot. Surviving so many years in football, especially at my age, is a success.”
Ancelotti will try to win his third Champions League title with Madrid with a squad that this season was boosted by the signing of Jude Bellingham.
The young England midfielder has never played in the English Premier League, having joined Borussia Dortmund at an early age, but he has faced Man City four times and scored twice against the English side.
Bellingham has 20 goals and 10 assists since joining Madrid and is one of the club’s top attacking weapons this season along with Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
“Bellingham’s impact has been massive,” Guardiola said. “It’s a different team from last season. His influence is obvious, and we have to try to discover what he does to control it. Facing Real Madrid is always a tough challenge, nobody can deny it.
“They are an exceptional club and in this competition, they can control many things with the experience they have in the past.”
Great duel:
Madrid and Man City drew 1-1 in the first leg at the Bernabeu last season in a match marked by the duel between Madrid defender Antonio Ruediger and Man City striker Erling Haaland, who was the Champions League’s leading scorer at the time.
But, Ruediger and Madrid’s defence made sure Haaland wasn’t a factor, and the Norway international got only a few touches throughout the match.
“I’m really looking forward to the duel with him. You dream about these games. It’s amazing to be a part of this,” Ruediger told uefa.com this week.
STATS THE WAY:
- Real Madrid and Manchester City have played each other 10 times. City have won four times, Madrid thrice and three ended in draws.
- They were pitched together in the knockout stages for the fourth time in five seasons.
- City won both legs in the 2019/20 round-of-16 and then overwhelmed the 14-time winners in last season’s semi-final.
- Madrid’s lone aggregate triumph came in 2021-22.
- Madrid have played eight matches so far in the Champions League this season, winning seven. One ended in a draw. They have scored 18 goals and conceded eight.
- Manchester City have won all their eight matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding nine.
TODAY’S MATCHES:
Real Madrid vs Man City
Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Kick-off at 12:30am IST (Wednesday).
Ruediger heaps praise on ‘mature’ Jude.
Real Madrid defender Antonio Ruediger said he is both impressed and surprised with the impact England midfielder Jude Bellingham has had on the team at the age of just 20 after he was signed from Borussia Dortmund last June.
The 31-year-old German defender heaped praise on Bellingham’s leadership qualities, which has already made an impact inside Real’s changing room.
“I was surprised because I didn’t know him very well, but my goodness! He has a great personality that is already a presence in our squad. He is a very good player,” Ruediger told a news conference ahead of Real’s Champions League quarter final first-leg clash against Manchester City on Tuesday.
“If you talk to (Bellingham) you get the feeling that he’s already experienced everything and he’s only 20 years old. I’m not surprised anymore.
“He’s going to be a leader, he’s very mature, very professional in everything he does. We must pray that he continues to be as healthy as he is. Off the pitch I’m not worried about anything, he has very good parents and a great environment.”
Bellingham, signed for $111.50 million, has made the transition from Dortmund to Real Madrid look ridiculously easy and is joint top-scorer in La Liga with 16 goals – tied with Girona’s Artem Dovbyk and Osasuna’s Ante Budimir.
Real manager Carlo Ancelotti also spoke highly of the England prodigy who has become a fan favourite in Spain.
“(Bellingham) is a great player that knows how to appear in the box at the right time,” Ancelotti told a news conference on Monday.
“Physically he is very strong and is able to cover a lot of ground and contribute a lot in defence. He creates space and opportunities for us.”
Ancelotti admitted he was rather anxious about facing Manchester City in a Champions League knockout tie for a third year running. Real eliminated City in the 2022 semi-finals but Pep Guardiola’s side gained revenge a year later at the same stage.
“I’m very nervous. The hours before the match, on a personal level,” Ancelotti said.
“Is defeat suffering and victory, happiness? No, it’s really a relief. Because the days after are calmer.”