- Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham will face off at the Etihad on Wednesday
- The English duo have lit up the Premier League and LaLiga this season
- Arsenal need to bounce back in Munich – they can’t carry the fear of losing to Villa into the Champions League game – Listen to the It all starts podcast
English football’s two brightest talents cross paths again on Wednesday evening when Manchester City host Real Madrid, with a place in the Champions League semi-finals at stake.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have both had fantastic seasons so far, leaving Gareth Southgate with an intriguing tactical conundrum ahead of the European Championship.
Bellingham has made England’s number 10 his own, while Southgate deployed Foden on the right wing in last month’s friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.
The 23-year-old has also mainly played out wide for City, but has shone this season when deployed in the number 10 role and has previously made it clear that he sees this as his preferred position in the long term.
From a statistical point of view, it is virtually impossible to separate Foden and Bellingham.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham will face off in the Champions League tonight
The two crossed paths last week when City held Real Madrid to a 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their quarter-final.
The two English stars have taken the Premier League and LaLiga by storm this season
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The former has lit up the Premier League for City, with fourteen goals and seven assists in thirty appearances.
Foden’s stunning performance in last week’s breathtaking 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu was his 22nd goal of the season in 45 appearances in all competitions this season, along with 10 assists
“He has the spark and the incredible talent to score goals and create something,” Guardiola said of Foden after his heroics in Madrid.
The highest scoring midfielder in LaLiga, Bellingham has twenty goals and ten assists to his name in 34 appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the first leg, Guardiola praised Bellingham’s ‘huge impact on Madrid’, a point echoed by Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday.
“For the future of Real Madrid he will be one of the most important players,” he said.
‘Sometimes we forget that he is only 20, he is a fantastic player.’
The only major difference between the two is probably their usage.
According to data from Opta, Foden has been on the pitch for almost 600 more minutes than Bellingham, which equates to around six and a half games extra.
Foden has scored five Champions League goals in seven games, the most recent coming courtesy of a stunning performance at the Santiago Bernabeu last week
Foden has 22 goals and 10 assists to his name in 45 appearances in all competitions
Bellingham has scored four goals and three assists in seven Champions League games this season
The twenty-year-old has already made Real Madrid’s midfield his own in his debut season in Spain
The figures are even closer if only the Champions League performances are taken into account.
Foden has scored five goals and three assists in 564 minutes on the pitch in seven games, while Bellingham has played 624 minutes in seven games and has four goals and three assists to his name.
Both players are absolutely crucial figures for their respective teams, their importance highlighted by their passing statistics per 90 minutes and their involvement in goals.
Bellingham averages 56.6 touches per game to Foden’s 53.5 and has been involved in a goal every 99 minutes, while Foden’s figures rise to 111.
The Real Madrid star has scored every 149 minutes this season, while his England teammate has found the net every 162 minutes.
Across all competitions, the City star averages 3.5 shots per 90 minutes and 1.5 shots per match, compared to his Real Madrid counterparts’ 2.6 and 1.2, but Bellingham has a better shot conversion rate: 23 .5 to 16.1.
Bellingham surpasses Foden in dribble attempts per 90 minutes (3.3 to 2.9 respectively), with both completing 89 percent of their passes.
Bellingham also leads Foden in tackles per 90 minutes – 1.6 to 0.9 – and interceptions per 90 minutes – 0.8 to 0.4 – but the latter provides slightly more chances per game – 2.3 to 1.8 .
Like their respective clubs’ quarter-finals, the match between Foden and Bellingham is well balanced.