“Real Madrid against Manchester City is a modern Clasico,” said Real Madrid's former coach, Jorge Valdano, last April and the preview of the quarter-finals of the 2 clubs 2023-24 Champions League in Bernabeu.
The following draw didn’t disappoint. Madrid and City drew 3: 3 within the Spanish capital, before a 1-1 attract Etihad led to a penalty shot that Los Blancos won on the technique to picking up a record title of the fifteenth European Champion/Champions League.
In the competition this season, the teams experienced mixed fortune-but themselves the meeting in the brand new play-off round cannot bend the shine of rivalry. Madrid got here 3-2 in Etihad in Etihad last week, which implies that you’ve gotten now exchanged 30 goals in your last seven meetings. At Bernabeu (Wednesday), an interesting second leg can also be built up in Bernabeu.
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This season is the fourth in a row that Madrid and City met within the KO -phases of the European Elite Club competition. The fans proceed to be packed, and the primary play-off game sets up a brand new streaming record for the Prime Video Service from Amazon in Great Britain with well over 4 million viewers.
An additional intrigue layer stood on this agreement. City fans stopped a banner with the inscription “Hear your heart” in relation to Madrid striker Vinicius Junior, which was beaten by Rodri and Madrid in October to the Ballon d'Or Award. The Brazil international played a vital role in victory and announced the Spanish television broadcaster Movistar that the banner gave him “more strength to play a great game”.
In 2021-22, Madrid's magical comeback within the semi-finals in Bernabeu drove to the ultimate, where Liverpool was defeated 1-0. In the next season, in the identical phase of the competition, City produced a dominant home game to defeat Carlo Ancelotti's team 4-0 within the second leg before demanding her first Champions League title against Inter. Then there was this epic victory in penalties for Madrid within the quarter -finals within the Etihad last season.
The circumstances differ on this campaign, with a victory on this draw within the sixteenth round gave progress. Madrid only achieved the play-offs after that they had taken eleventh place in the primary phase of the primary division after defeats against Lille, Milan and Liverpool. The city has to struggle throughout the season and stepped through within the twenty second place.
Madrid has long since won the European success in the very best possible respect to the drawback of their domestic progress (for instance, they’ve won the Copa del Rey, Spain's akin to the FA Cup in England, only 3 times for the reason that trophy in 1993).
The story that the club likes to inform about itself is greater than anything. Madrid has harmful defeats against Barcelona in La Liga (4-0) and the Supercopa de Espana (5-2) this season. would have lifted.
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It was not Valdano's point to completely lower the story of Madrid's rivalry with Barcelona. He believes that the recent meetings with City have recently change into more essential as a result of known connections. It can also be true that Barca is healthier placed than each side this season, after taking second place within the league and mechanically qualified for the sixteenth round.
“Clasicos are based on rivalry and (City's Manager and former Barcelona player and coach Pep) Guardiola is the favorite enemy of Madridismo (Madrid fans),” said Valdano last yr. “It was enough to listen to the fans' response in Santiago Bernabeu (in the primary leg 2023-24) after the speaker announced his name via the PA system. He was essentially the most whistled.
“But 10 years ago and five years ago all of us talked about Barcelona-Madrid. Now the football meaning leads us to speak about Madrid-City as the perfect on this planet.
“It is excellent since the story is renewed. City gets to know the celebrity that’s difficult without having an earlier context. City are latest and economically influenced. Madrid are latest in every era. You can at all times adapt to a visit. “
Guardiola normally gets an enemy reception in Bernabeu (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Since Guardiola arrived in Manchester in summer 2016, the 2 teams have met a complete of nine times (the sport on Wednesday can be tenth), with Madrid won three for the 4 of City.
The only Champions League triumph of town is put within the shade by Madrids 15. But Madrid still sees City as one in all her essential competitors for European success.
“Madrid and City have certainly been the two most successful teams in the past seven or eight years,” said one source of the changing room die, as others quoted here, said anonymously because that they had no permission.
“It is true that City only won it (in 2023), but they have often won them.”
Those behind the scenes in Madrid saw the play-off against City as a “early finale”. Ancelotti's coaching team consider Guardiola as very difficult to research and barely trust the constellations and systems that he uses before their encounters within the weeks. City is fourth within the Premier League and the coaches of Madrid were surprised at how much the lack of Ballon d'Or-winner Rodri, Rodri for an injury to the front cruciate ligament (ACL), influenced them.
Vicente Del Bosque, one other former head coach of Madrid and a World Cup winner at Spain in 2010, agrees that Madrid and City have change into the best attract European football.
“I think both teams have dominated football in recent years and Madrid have maintained an extraordinary level,” says Del Bosque. “I remember the 14th title and the comeback against City as essentially the most spectacular in 2022.
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“City is one in all the few teams that Madrid dominate with the ball, though they’ve players a counterattack. And Madrid looks comfortable without the ball and uses transitions though they’ve players to manage the possession.
“Now there’s a debate in regards to the European Super League. I feel playing these games as a knockout is healthier. I take a look at the sporting aspect, not the economic aspect, and it makes it more entertaining and more of a rivalry.
Madrid's Champions League comeback in 2022 for spectacular consideration (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“When I used to be a player and in addition as a coach, the massive opponent was Bayern Munich. The Netherlands also had teams with Ajax and Italy with Milan who competed with us, but not that far more. Now the range has opened. “
City still see sources in Madrid's board as the team. This is also because the city, since Ferran Soriano's arrivals as managing director and Txiki Begiristain as sports director (both like Guardiola, formerly Barcelona), have grown as a club and have earned the respect of Madrid, with whom they keep a relationship with great admiration.
With this in mind, Valdano dares to draw another parallel in the way both teams are centrally structured for a figure.
“Both in Madrid and City it is evident who’s responsible,” he concludes.
“In Madrid it is (club president) Florentino Perez. Everyone in City knows it and nobody says it – but Guardiola will not find that he can work in another club without a boss. “
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