As Manchester City Football Club prepare to take on Real Madrid Football Club in the UEFA Champions League semifinals on Tuesday, May 9 former head coach of Liverpool and Newcastle United, Rafael Benitez has issued a stern warning to Pep Guardiola about the threat posed by three dangerous attacking players in the Real Madrid squad.
The Spanish club will be playing at home against Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal match at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid defeated the English Premier League Champion last year when both of them faced each other in the UEFA Champions League semifinals in May.
Ancelotti’s said beat Guardiola’s Man City 3-1 in the second leg of the semifinals courtesy of die minute goal from Rodrygo Silva de goes and French forward, Karim Benzema.
The Madrid based outfit sent City packing from the Championship following a 6-5 (agregate) scoreline.
After defeating Liverpool in the championship match, the La Liga champions went on to win the Champions League.
Benitez, however, warmed that players like Vinicius, Karim Benzema, and Thibaut Courtois could become thorns in the flesh of make Man City tonight.
Vinicius Jr. is a nightmare, according to Benitez, who spoke with The Times.
He said, “[He] is attempting to run into the space on the right of City’s backline after scoring in the first leg of the semi-final match at the Etihad Stadium last season.
“Karim Benzema also moves quite well. He likes to cross the lines, which makes it challenging for two center backs; leaving him against just one can be a huge gamble.
“Risk and reward are important, as is player trust… But keep in mind Thibaut Courtois as well.
“When Real has faced challenging circumstances, he has always performed admirably for them.
“He is a world-class goalkeeper and his battle with Haaland is one to watch.”
The semifinal game kick-off time is 8 pm.
