Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again this Tuesday for their UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg. A rematch of last season's semi which saw ultimate winners Real advance 6-5 on aggregate, this one promises more drama between these two with the second leg just a week away. The winner of this semifinal will face either Milan or Inter in the June 10 final in Istanbul. But how will each team line up in this one? Let's take a look at the confirmed XIs and team news:
Golazo Starting XI Newsletter
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Tuesday's broadcast schedule
- UEFA Champions League Today, 2 p.m., Paramount+ and CBS
- Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m., Paramount+ and CBS
- Tactical Cam: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m., CBS Sports Golazo Network
- UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 5 p.m., Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, May 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabeu -- Madrid
- TV and live stream: Paramount+ and CBS
- Tactical camera: CBS Sports Golazo Network
- Odds: Real +210; Draw: +270; City +115 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Real Madrid
Team news: Eder Militao is suspended and misses the home leg after picking up a booking just before all preexisting yellow cards were reset for the semis. Ferland Mendy remains out with his calf issue but Carlo Ancelotti's pre-game assertion that Luka Modric would start was accurate. Aurelien Tchouameni takes a substitute role.
Possible Real XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema (c), Vinicius Jr.
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Man City
Team news: Nathan Ake has a hamstring problem and misses out altogether. Meanwhile Rodri, John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish all return after Pep Guardiola rotated his players over the weekend in the win over Leeds.
Possible City XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Gundogan (c), Grealish; Haaland.
Matchup to watch
Modric vs. Rodri: Ancelotti confirmed that the Croatia talisman would feature significantly and the Italian master was true to his word and starts Modric. The 37-year-old has shown himself capable of uncorking vintage form on the big occasions and they do not come much more important than this. Modric's creativity and vision in the middle will be vital, but there is a danger that a lack of full fitness could put Real at a disadvantage in the battle for midfield supremacy. Rodri was a man possessed in the opening leg of City's quarterfinal victory over Bayern Munich and similar form could make it difficult for the Spanish giants to live with him.
Going with a more combative element in the middle might have avoided any immediate threat of being overwhelmed, but Modric's mastery along with Toni Kroos' craft and Fede Valverde's non-nonsense approach have all contributed towards some of Real's best results this season. It could be that despite Modric being viewed as a bit of a risk from the start based on his fitness that the real miss for Ancelotti and his team is Militao at the back. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are both quality defenders, but Militao brings an authority and serenity that few in Europe can match on his day and that could cost Real more than gambling on Modric being fit to start might. Although, if anybody knows best in these games, it is Ancelotti.
