Key events
I’m really looking forward to the battle between Casparij and Caicedo. I reckon City will want Casparij to get forward and see if Caicedo will follow her, or cheat by staying upfield. If she has the run of the right flank, she can stand crosses up for Shaw, and I’d fancy her against the Madrid defence.
Two changes for Madrid too, Athenea and Silvia Cristobal coming in for Janou Levels and Lotte Keuklaar.
City make two changes to the side that drew at Bayern – they rested players for the 1- win at Charlton last weekend – with Sam Coffey and Beth Mead replaced by Mary Fowler and Laura Blindkilde Brown.
Teams!
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Yamashita; Casparij, Rose, Greenwood, Wamser; Blindkilde Brown, Hasegawa; Fowler Fujino, Hemp; Shaw. Subs: Cumings, Moorhouse, Clinton, Mead, Coffey, Charles, Beney, Prior, Lewis, Burdon.
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Frohms; Eva Navarro, Lakrar, Andersson, Silvia Cristobal; Arianna Caruso, Senss, Andreia Jacinto; Athenea, Schroder, Linda Caicedo. Subs: Laia Lopez, Noemi, Pau Comendador, Keukelaar, Dabritz, Bruun, Beerensteyn, Maria Mendez, Irune Dorado, Angeldahl, Holmgaard, San Martin.
Elsewhere, the PSG hoodies are a belting shade of blue; I’ll investigate photos presently.
Madrid have turned up with team-issue Louis Vuitton gear, apparently. In the Disney studio, they’re impressed.
Preamble
“Business as usual,” reckons City manager Andree Jeglertz, which is not the usual way of describing a Champions League tie with Real Madrid. However, though it remains unknown whether the, er … turmoil affecting the men’s side will transfer to the women, these are not usual times.
But football never stops, and this match should be an absolute rip-snorter. City, of course, were the club to finally break Chelsea’s absurd streak of six WSL titles on the spin and, with a front three of Beth Mead, Bunny Shaw and Lauren Hemp, served by Aoba Fujino and Yui Hasegawa, they’ll take some stopping.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich almost managed it on matchday one, taking a two-goal lead and succumbing to a draw thanks only to an 86th-minute equaliser – and they did not have Linda Caicedo in their XI. The Madrid captain is a wonderful player of practicality and fantasy, good enough to dominate or settle any game; for her team to win, she’ll need to be at it, but there’s every chance she is.
Kick-off: 8pm BST
