With four mouth-watering quarter-finals in the Champions League, it has many fans and critics alike excited to watch the games kick off. But while Arsenal vs Bayern Munich and Barcelona vs PSG are arguably the fixtures with the most sub-plot around them, Manchester City vs Real Madrid is the show-stopper of the round.
The game pits the two favourites to win the trophy this season against each other in a grudge match, less than a year after they faced each other in a similar situation. There, Manchester City went on to thoroughly beat Real Madrid and eventually clinched their first Champions League crown to complete a treble of the Premier League trophy and FA Cup.
It has many wondering how this fixture will go about especially with both teams at the top of their games. The Los Blancos currently sit at the top of the La Liga table while City are locked in a three team title race.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City to be played under a closed roof
It has already seen Real Madrid sell out the Santiago Bernabeu and reports have indicated that the Los Blancos have taken things one step further to increase the atmosphere. ESPN had reported, earlier this week, that the La Liga giants had asked UEFA for permission to play the game under a closed roof. The report has indicated that the club wants to do so to allow for a better atmosphere around the ground.
Goal has now reported that UEFA have granted Madrid’s request to do so after a routine pre-match technical meeting on Tuesday. This decision was reportedly made in conjunction with match referee François Letexier under the provision that the game must end with the roof closed. That is, however, unless severe weather changes the situation.
This is not the first time Real Madrid will be playing with the roof closed as they did so against RB Leipzig in their Champions League round of 16 clash and have also done so regularly in the league.