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The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League has reached the semi-finals stage, and once again, you find Manchester City present and correct at the tournament’s business end. It is the second time in as many seasons that this star-studded Manchester City side has navigated this deep into club football’s most prestigious competition. Is this the season The Citizens finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy?
Manchester City has been a dominant force in English football since Pep Guardiola became the club’s manager in the 2016-17 season. Under Guardiola’s guidance, City has won the English Premier League three times, the FA Cup once, and the EFL Cup four times. That dominance has continued into the current season, with City at the top of the Premier League table with seven games to go and with the team in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. However, it is the fact City is in the mix for Champions League honors with only four teams remaining that has the team’s loyal fans tingling with excitement, and sports betting sites installing City as favorites for glory.
Reaching the Champions League Final
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Until last season, City had never progressed further than the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They lost 5-1 on aggregate to Liverpool in 2017-18, lost on the away goals rule to Tottenham Hotspur in 2018-19, and fell to a shock 3-1 defeat at the hands of French outfit Lyon in 2019-20.
The 2020-21 season looked most likely that City would become champions of Europe. They went undefeated during the group stage before bulldozing their way through Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris St. Germain to reach their first-ever Champions League final. Here, they faced Premier League rivals Chelsea, and everything points towards a Manchester City victory. However, City was well below par, registering only a single shot on target, and lost 1-0 courtesy of a 42nd-minute goal from Kai Havertz.
Guardiola’s team, still playing without a recognized striker after the departure of record goalscorer Sergio Aguero, look back towards something close to their brilliant best. They topped their group after winning four of their six games, losing to Paris St. Germain and RB Leipzig, although the latter was partly due to a red card for defender Kyle Walker.
City coasted through their Round of 16 fixture against Sporting Lisbon, winning the first leg 5-0 without breaking a sweat. The quarter-final clash against Atletico Madrid ended with City winning 1-0 on aggregate in a tough pair of encounters. Atletico head coach Diego Simeone attempted to stifle City in the first leg, adopting a 5-5-0 formation that resulted in Atletico failing to register a single shot at goal. City eventually broke the deadlock the Kevin De Bruyne in the 70th minute. Atletico proved more of an attacking threat in the second leg in Spain, but the bad-tempered game finished 0-0, meaning City progressed to the semi-finals stage for the second consecutive season.
They Must Overcome Real Madrid in the Semis
Real Madrid awaits Manchester City in the semi-finals; the Spanish club has won this competition a record 12 times but not since the 2017-18 campaign. Usually, facing a team like Real Madrid would strike fear into City’s hearts, but this Madrid team is beatable and essentially revolves around two key players.
While it is true Real Madrid leads La Liga by 12 points, the Spanish league is a shadow of its former self, with Barcelona going through a transition period. Striker Karim Benzema is enjoying the season of his life and has 38 goals in all competitions, while Brazilian youngster Vinicius Junior has 17. Marco Asensio (10) is the only other Real Madrid player in double figures for the season; three other players have a mere three goals each.
A master tactician like Guardiola knows if he stops Benzema and Junior, he stops Real Madrid’s attacking threat. He also knows his squad has goals throughout, and they have enough quality to break through a Madrid defense still coming to terms with having no Sergio Ramos or Raphael Varane shoring it up.
City should have enough to beat the Spanish giants over two legs, which sets up a second consecutive Champions League final against either Liverpool or Sevilla. It is likely to be the former that the winner of this encounter faces, and it would take a brave person to bet against City finally getting the job done this time around.