Real Madrid (A) | Pre-Match Thread

[Akpowell]

That DSquared clobber is horrendous:

They look like convicts

 

[cleavers]

They look like convicts

UEFA will approve.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

That DSquared clobber is horrendous:

With all that’s gone on, it’s good that they are trying to maintain the Status Quo.

 

[SWPISHOME]

Couldn't care less if the players turned up in pink skirts and a see through bra as long as we get a positive result tomorrow night.

 

[itisrising]

There is no way that we will be allowed to win this first leg tie. Never mind the whole tie. I foresee Madrid to get a penalty either in this game no matter how dubious it maybe. There is also the possibility that we will have a player sent off either in the 1st leg tie or the 2nd leg tie. UEFA will try all try tricks in their arsenal to stop us from winning this years Champions League trophy.

I am not saying that the ref will cheat, what I am saying is that those officials, in the VAR studio will have pressure put on them to favour Real Madrid. This is where we need the presenters in the studio to be totally unbiased and call it as it is. If they think that the ref is being unfair to us then come out and say it on air. Maybe that way we will show how against us UEFA is.

Man we need to knock this mentality on the head and go into this game full of confidence and energy. Whether we do get screwed in the game is a discussion after the fact not before, we cannot let it affect our support and mentality. We can and should beat Madrid and, on our day, we're the best team in the world. It will serve us no benefit and only ruins our chances if we accept that we won't be allowed to win.

 

[Grealish’s Shinpads]

No Sane. Makes sense I suppose but still a bit disappointed as part of me hoped he’d at least make the bench

 

[Grealish’s Shinpads]

Man we need to knock this mentality on the head and go into this game full of confidence and energy. Whether we do get screwed in the game is a discussion after the fact not before, we cannot let it affect our support and mentality. We can and should beat Madrid and, on our day, we're the best team in the world. It will serve us no benefit and only ruins our chances if we accept that we won't be allowed to win.

Exactly. Does my head in reading some of the negativity on here. If we play well enough then the refs can try to screw us as much as possible and we’ll still win, simple as that. Take our chances and we can win the tie tomorrow. If we miss everything then we are screwing ourselves regardless of any officiating decisions

 

[St.Pauli support]

Pep and David pre match presser in Madrid coming up soon...

 

[James Barnard]

My Match Preview for Manchester City vs Real Madrid:

Ahead of Wednesday evening's blockbuster clash between Manchester City and Real Madrid, I thought I'd have a look at how each side has been getting on in their respective domestic league.

Both sides currently sit second in their league table, with Manchester City 22 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, and Real Madrid only 2 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona. This would suggest that Los Blancos have outperformed Manchester City this season. However, this simply is not true.

Real Madrid have taken 53 points from 25 matches, averaging 2.12 points per match. Manchester City have taken 57 points from 27 matches, averaging 2.11 points per match. So, they should be evenly matched?

Not Necessarily.

Guardiola's side carry a far more lethal attacking threat, averaging a shot every 4.5 minutes and a goal every 36 minutes in the Premier League, compared to a shot every 5.5 minutes and a goal every 49 minutes for Real in La Liga. This not only highlights the relative lack of creativity that had plagued Zidane's midfield this season, but also the clinical nature of Manchester City's key forward minded players.

One man who surely holds the key to Manchester City's success in Europe is Kevin De Bruyne, who has been on fire in the premier league this season and is on track to break the record number of assists in a single premier league season, having already recorded an impressive 16. He is currently averaging an assist every 135 minutes and a goal contribution every 90 minutes thanks to his respectable tally of 8 premier league goals.

The main man for Zinadine Zidane on Wednesday could be his fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema, who has recorded 13 goals and 6 assists in the 19/20 la liga campaign. The Real talisman is averaging a goal every 157 minutes and a goal contribution every 107 minutes. Another player to watch on Wednesday is Manchester City icon Sergio Aguero who has been banging them in at a rate of knots for his side this season, averaging a goal every 84 minutes and a goal contribution every 71 minutes in the premier league. Despite his scintillating form earlier in the season, Aguero is without a goal in 3 consecutive premier league appearances and could lose his place in Wednesday's starting 11 to Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, who proved to be City's saviour when he came off the bench to score the winner in the 80th minute of Saturday's top of the table clash with Leicester.

Despite the plethora of world class attacking talent set to be on display in this tie, even with the admission of the injured Eden Hazard, it may well be Real's defensive unit that gets them the result at the Santiago Bernabao. Real Madrid have an outstanding defensive record, only conceding 17 goals so far in la liga. This has lead to Los Blancos only conceding an average of 0.68 goals per game which equates to once every 132 minutes. When you compare this to Manchester City's average of 1.07 goals conceded per game, it is even more impressive. However, this fairly poor defensive record could be aided by the return of Aymeric Laporte to the heart of the City defence, who put on an encouraging display against Brendan Rogers' Leicester.

In summary, this should be a cracking tie between two spectacular footballing sides. It will be a real clash of titans and the atmosphere should be electric. It is definitely one to watch simply for the spectacle, and I haven't even mentioned the undertones of UEFA controversy.

 

[itisrising]

Exactly. Does my head in reading some of the negativity on here. If we play well enough then the refs can try to screw us as much as possible and we’ll still win, simple as that. Take our chances and we can win the tie tomorrow. If we miss everything then we are screwing ourselves regardless of any officiating decisions

We all know that UEFA don't like City and I'm sure the feeling is mutual but I feel like some fans are using that as a safety net as a reason not to believe we can win. We want the players to have a siege mentality and so should we as fans going into the game. The atmosphere last season against Spurs was unbelievable and we need to believe that we can go all the way this season.