CHRIS SUTTON’S THREE KEY BATTLES
LUKA MODRIC was Real Madrid’s most prolific passer in both legs against Chelsea. Everything goes through this little Croatian metronome and at 36 years old he still has that instinctive creativity. Just look at that delicious outside of the boot assist for Rodrygo at the Bernabeu. It was proof of the wavelength he shares with his team-mates. He can see the pass he should make in his mind’s eye and possesses the ability to do it perfectly, too. This is Fernandinho’s final season and what a servant he’s been for City. It’s Rodri’s time now though and he will have a key responsibility in stopping Modric from dictating the pace at the Etihad Stadium.
DIAS v BENZEMA
RUBEN DIAS got 45 minutes against Brighton then 90 against Watford. No disrespect to those two Premier League teams and their strikers, but they only represented warm-ups for the real deal that is Real Madrid and Karim Benzema. This will be an entirely different challenge for dias. Benzema is about as tough a test any defender can face in European football. It’s not just the physical aspect, it’s his expert movement. He’s got that sixth sense in knowing where the ball is going to fall and dias needs to be on him from start to finish. This will be Benzema’s 600th game for Real. If dias can stop him from marking that with a goal, he will see that as a job well done.
DE BRUYNE v CAMAVINGA
KEVIN DE BRUYNE will want to sprinkle some beautiful football on this Champions League tie because that’s his speciality. When City were struggling to break down Brighton, it was the Belgium playmaker’s run that created the chance for Riyad Mahrez to score the opening goal. Moises Caicedo will have looked back at that moment and asked himself, ‘Why didn’t I just foul de Bruyne and take the yellow?’ —
like Virgil van dijk did when Liverpool faced City in that 2-2 draw at the Etihad. Real Madrid won’t run that risk. With Casemiro unlikely to be fit enough to start — a big blow given he’s a professional stopper — they’re set to turn to their French 19-yearold Eduardo Camavinga. He will want to be super aggressive against City’s midfield in order to stop de Bruyne from doing de Bruyne things.