The illustrious player Wayne Rooney has made a daring prediction that Manchester City would triumph over Real Madrid in the semi-final match of the Champions League on Tuesday. On Tuesday, May 9, the opening leg of the knockout match will take place at the Bernabeu Stadium between the two heavyweights competing in the match.
Rooney, who had a great professional career in football until retiring at the age of 35, has provided a preview of City’s upcoming match versus Real in his most recent piece for The Times.
“Manchester City will not just beat Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final—they’ll blow them away,” the former England international wrote in an article.
“Of course, it’s possible that I’m mistaken. In the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid is the team that outperforms all others when it comes to rebutting criticisms leveled against them. However, I do believe that City are so good that they are on an other level,” he continued.
The former player is aware of Real Madrid’s impressive track record, but City is, in his opinion, the team most likely to get to the final.
“Of course, I could be wrong, but I think City are on another level,” he said. “That being said, I think they are.” Real Madrid is a squad with a long history and a lot of experience, so you can never count them out completely, but I wouldn’t put money on them. My gut tells me that this is City’s year.
“From the very beginning of the season, I had the feeling that this would be the campaign in which Pep Guardiola would finally conquer Europe with City. The football that his team has been playing in recent months and the way that they are peaking at the right time has only reaffirmed that thought,” the author writes.
Erling Haaland, who in just his first season in the Premier League has already set the record for most goals scored in a single season, is Rooney’s primary concern in this matchup.
Real Madrid eliminated City from the competition a year ago, but the situation is very different now. Rooney explains that City have improved defensively and have become a more patient club, but that Erling Haaland has been the most significant difference.
“During the previous year’s match at the Bernabeu, the squad experienced five minutes of insanity that cost them the draw. Without Haaland, it never would have come to pass.
“There is no way Real Madrid could have played in the same manner. They had moments in both games where they were able to take the ball away from City, and they were able to do this because City did not provide a significant danger in the form of a counter-attack.
The former United attacker is curious as to how Real Madrid will be able to prevent Haaland from winning the two-legged tie. Because Carlo Ancelotti will be without Eder Militao for the first leg of the match because of a suspension, all indications point to Antonio Rudiger being given the responsibility of defending against the Norwegian striker.
Rooney had this to say about the opponent: “He’s a great competitor who likes to play one-on-one.”
To tell you the truth, I don’t believe the German defense has what it takes to deal with Haaland.I don’t believe there is a center-back anywhere in the world who could stop Haaland given his pace, strength, and ability to get well inside the box.