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UCL Preview: Man City, Wolfsburg aiming to make history

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The first two spots in the UEFA Champions League semifinals will be earned on Tuesday.

After netting two important away goals, Manchester City will host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their quaterfinal series. In Spain, Real Madri will look to mount a comeback against Wolfsburg, which holds a two-goal advantage.

Wolfsburg and Man City have never reached the semifinals of the UCL.

Here’s a closer look at Tuesday’s two matchups:

Manchester City vs. Paris Saint-Germain

(2:45 p.m., at Etihad Stadium, Fox Sports 1, ESPN Deportes TV, Watch ESPN, Fox Soccer 2Go)

Due to the goals by Kevin de Bruyne and Fernandinho in Paris, Man City has the slight advantage ahead of the decisive leg on Tuesday.

PSG was the favorite to progress to the UCL semifinals before the series began, but Manuel Pellegrini’s men looked capable and hungry at the Parc des Princes. The scoreline on aggregate sits at 2-2, so a low-scoring tie or a win on home soil will see Man City’s magical UCL run continue.

The bad news for the English Premier League club is that centerback and captain Vincent Kompany will not be available for selection. Raheem Sterling is also still expected to be sidelined.

PSG will be dealing with absences of its own, as defender David Luiz and midfielder Blaise Matuidi will miss the second leg due to suspension. Several key members of the squad were rested over the weekend, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Real Madrid vs. Wolfsburg

(2:45 p.m., at Bernabeu, Fox Sports 2, Fox Deportes, Fox Soccer 2Go)

Wolfsburg are 90 minutes away from pulling off the upset of the competition.

The German Bundesliga side currently holds a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. were unable to net a single away goal. If Wolfsburg is to finish what it started, Julian Draxler or Andre Shurrle will likely be the one to score a road goal.

Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane suffered injuries over the weekend against Eibar, but they are both expected to be match fit and available for selection for Real Madrid.

The Spanish club has won seven of its previous eight matches across all competitions, which includes victories over Barcelona and Italian side AS Roma. Real Madrid will be hoping that the loss in Germany was just a small hiccup on the road to another appearance in the UCL semifinals.

Comments

  1. 1 away goal by Wolfsburg and Galacticos will come up short again… they are not scoring 4 goals against a Bundesliga side that is focused on the task at hand…

    3-1 Madrid and a crash out…

    Reply

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