Real Madrid and Manchester City rivalry in the modern era is the one to look out for. The Spanish giants have dominated the world and Europe over the years. However, the competition has increased year by year. The opponents have become stronger and a few big clubs want to establish themselves. Both teams have met in the UEFA Champions League in the last two seasons. The Spanish side got the better of their English opponents in the 2021-22 season. They were behind City on aggregate score and made an incredible comeback.
Last season, Pep’s men got the better of Real Madrid and went on to lift the trophy. This season, these two teams meet in the competition’s quarter-final stage. Both sides are heavily packed with superstars and capable of winning the match for their team.
One such player is Madrid’s high-flying winger, Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian has shown a lot of improvement in his game over the years and is Ancelotti’s target man in the attack. Vinicius is on a great scoring run and here are the stats that show how he can win the tie for the Spanish club.
Terrorising defences down the left
The 23-year-old has occupied the left-wing spot for Real Madrid. However, the Spanish side is playing this season without a reputed striker and Ancelotti has used Vinicius in a more centric role along with Rodrygo.
Vinicius was on an incredible run in March 2024. He scored regular goals and carried a lot of threats in these matches. The 23-year-old made 25 progressive runs and took these many touches inside the opposition penalty box. Most of these runs stretched the opposition’s defence and left space in the middle of the park.
In these four matches, Vini was brought down 14 times. Vinicius Junior has the pace to get past any defender and that always puts doubt in the mind of the player defending his goal.
Another area where the young Brazilian contributes is in recovering the ball for his team. A big team needs their big players to recover the ball early and keep the attacking momentum going. Vinicius Junior has made a few counter-pressing recoveries and some have even turned into dangerous ones.
Vinicius Junior’s incredible scoring run
Real Madrid’s No. 7 has scored 15 goals combined in the LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League. Of these 15 goals, six came in the last four games. The Brazilian has averaged three shots per 90 minutes this season and 48% of these shots have found the target. In the last four games, the average has gone up to 3.3 shots per 90 minutes and the accuracy rate is around 65%.
Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid will be ready to take the revenge from last season. The record-time European champions will aim to dethrone Manchester City and aim to add another trophy to their elite cabinet.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
