Manchester City are on the cusp of progressing back to the UEFA Champions League semifinals, but first they need to finish off a very tough Atletico Madrid side. It’s an Atletico team that has already eliminated one Manchester club from the UCL competition this season. On the other side of the bracket, it’s another match-up of Madrid versus a big money English club that was irrelevant until the 2000s, where Real Madrid leads 3-1 after the leg played at Chelsea.
Most likely, we’ll get Manchester City vs Real Madrid in the semis, but first things first. Let’s take a look at the City team news for Wednesday night versus Atleti.
Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid UCL Quarterfinal Leg 2/2 FYIs
When is it? Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 8 PM Local Time, City leads on aggregate 1-0
Where is it? Wanda Metropolitano
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Who’s in form? Manchester City (WWDDWWD) Atletico Madrid (WWWWWLL)
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
Manchester City Team News
Gabriel Jesus started, and scored at the weekend’s epic draw with Liverpool, and Guardiola likely made that call with this game in mind, as the central forward is suspended in European play, due to an accumulation of bookings. The good news is that Kyle Walker is now back from his European ban.
Shifting from disciplinary issues to injury concerns, City have a pair of those to be concerned about for the second leg of this tie. Long term absentee Ruben Dias (hamstring problem) and youngster attacking player Cole Palmer (ankle injury) are both not quite ready to return for this one.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.