Thibaut Courtois insists Real Madrid’s big game experience will give them the edge over Man City
‘It will be like a final – and we’re pretty good at winning it!’: Thibaut Courtois insists Real Madrid’s big gaming experience will give them an edge over Man City as he looks forward to ‘fun play’ in the second place in the Champions League leg
- Madrid and City drew 1-1 in Spain in a closely fought first leg
- City controlled most of the game, but Madrid grew into procedure
- The two teams will play at the Etihad on Wednesday for a place in the final
Thibaut Courtois has insisted Real Madrid’s experience of winning finals could give them an edge over Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
The two sides go into a 1-1 draw at the Etihad next week after a scintillating first leg in Madrid that saw Kevin De Bruyne’s stunner beat Vinicius Jr.’s fine effort. from the first half.
Everything is to play for in the second leg, but City have not lost a home league game in five years, leading many to believe they will have an edge in the tie.
However, Madrid will not have an easy time, are the defending champions and have won the competition most often.
That’s something, Courtois said after the match against BT Sport, that could come in handy in Manchester.
Thibaut Courtois has insisted Real Madrid’s big game experience will give them an advantage in the second leg against Manchester City
Madrid are defending champions and have won the title 14 times compared to City’s clean sheet
The draw is well balanced with many making City favorites to reach the final in Istanbul
“It was a good game from both sides,” he said. “We defended a little more. If you want to defend, don’t give Haaland room to run in to find those passes that Kevin, Bernardo and Gundogan can easily play.
‘We played well. As a result, they will shoot more from a distance. Rodri, Kevin shoots the ball well. It was a good draw and everything to play for.
“It’s going to be a final. I hope we can keep that in mind, even if it’s gone, but I think we’re pretty good at winning finals, so I hope we can mentalize it that way, even if it’s at City.”
Madrid were second best for most of the game, but grew into proceedings after a sluggish first half at the Bernabeu.
Courtois admitted he knows where his side can improve after a difficult night on Tuesday
Carlo Ancelotti’s team is not used to playing without a ball, but Courtois seemed to know where his team can improve in the second leg.
“City is a team that plays with possession,” he said. ‘But at Haaland they play more direct football. Even when Ederson had the ball, he sometimes went very deep, today he didn’t. It was a different kind of game.
“Once they had the ball, we dropped down a bit to give them space and they have the quality to pass the ball around. I think when they got the ball back we were sometimes too eager to pass too deep and we didn’t control our game because we are used to having more possession. They pressed well.
“I think it was a good game, we had chances in the end, Ederson made two saves. It will be a fun game at City.
