Champions League: Real Madrid Targets the Etihad
After the 0-1 victory against Mallorca, practically sealing LaLiga, Real Madrid focuses on the challenge at the Etihad Stadium, where they will play the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Manchester City.
In Sunday's training session, Brazilian forward Rodrygo Goes showed himself in perfect condition after not training for the Mallorca match, where he also didn't play a single minute. Meanwhile, the Madrid players who started against Mallorca completed a recovery session, starting with a gentle run on the grass to loosen their legs. In addition to Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, and Vinícius Junior, who will be starters in Manchester, participated in this group, training with intensity and focusing on the big Etihad match.
There was also a strong training session observed from Brazilian center-back Éder Militao, showing progressive physical improvement after recovering from a serious knee injury. However, Carlo Ancelotti did not give him a starting spot against Mallorca, where he played in the final moments for the second consecutive league match, reducing his chances of starting in the European clash.
The morning ended with shooting drills on goal, with the Madrid coach fine-tuning their accuracy ahead of the Manchester City showdown. The Italian coach has two injury absences, Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba, who continued with their knee injury recovery plans on Sunday, and one suspension, Aurélien Tchouaméni.
On Monday, "Carletto" will gather his entire squad at the Ciudad Real Madrid to complete a closed-door training session, where they will rehearse all tactical details with a fully defined starting eleven. The challenge is to end Manchester City's 41-game unbeaten streak at their stadium and advance to the Champions League semifinals.
