One of the biggest clashes in the Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid vs Manchester City is going to play on Wednesday night. The seven-time winner welcomes Pep Guardiola’s Premier League Champions, Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid have struggled to produce positive results in La Liga recently. They lost to Levante at the weekend and drew Celta Vigo last week. If counting the loss against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, Zinédine Zidanes man actually only have one win in the recent four games.
In this tactical analysis, we will show you how can Madrid planned their tactics in this game. It is an analysis that focuses on the giant of Spain.
Predicted lineup & team news of Madrid
The huge signing of the summer, Eden Hazard was injured in the Levante game. His manager said the situation ‘doesn’t look good’, hence, the Belgian is very likely to miss the clash. Another long-term injury is Marco Asensio, who is suffering from a cruciate ligament rupture and not likely to play. Mariano Díaz was knocked recently but this would not have a huge impact on the team selection. The Colombia star, James Rodríguez returned to the bench on Saturday after recovering from a hip injury.
Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Daniel Carvajal, Raphaël Varane, Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy; Casemiro, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos; Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, Isco
We expect to see Zidane plays his usual formation, though he played a 4-3-1-2 against Barcelona. This does not matter greatly as Isco or Valverde will roam their positions when playing as the wingers. We suggest Gareth Bale is not starting as he missed the league game due to gastroenteritis, the Welsh may lack fitness.
The first phase of the attack
Under Zidane, Madrid do not insist to play out from the back. However, the qualities of the individual allow Los Blancos to keep the ball in the first phase of the attack. They are comfortable to play under pressure as well though central penetrations are not necessary. Their average possession per game is 58.12%, with 591.31 passes and 16.08 shots. We choose a recent El Derbi Madrilño as a reference to illustrate Madrid’s build-up, as Atlético defended in a 4-4-2. Guardiola’s men are also likely to defend in this shape if they stick to the usual pattern.
Although in most cases, Casemiro played as a sole pivot, Madrid also have the dropping midfielders in the build-up phase as Modrić and Valverde tend to involve in this phase. The Croatian has a habit to appear on the right flank to create a passing triangle with the right-back and right centre-back, as shown below.
Th
