Real Madrid will have Manchester City’s help to prepare for the crucial Champions League last-16 match against their crosstown rivals, Manchester United, on Tuesday evening, with Jose Mourinho’s side training at the Etihad Stadium on Monday to “save” the Old Trafford pitch.
The tie is poised at 1-1 following the opening leg at the Bernabeu last month.
Madrid were due to train at their Valdebebas facility in Spain on Monday morning before flying to Manchester but an air strike means Mourinho’s squad will now make the trip tomorrow.
Juan Camilo Andrade, a Madrid spokesperson, said: “There will be most certainly an air strike on Monday with Iberia so we have to change our plans. We have to go on Sunday to avoid any possible problems.”
If teams in the Champions League do not train at their own club ahead of matches, the convention is for them to use the opposition’s surface the day before the match. But Andrade said: “We just want to keep the pitch safe. That’s it, that’s the idea. We don’t want to mess it around.”
Problems
This season United had well documented problems with the Old Trafford surface. Alex Ferguson stated it had “collapsed” during the Christmas period, though he is now pleased with its recovery.
However, United did not ask Madrid to find an alternative surface to train on to safeguard it.
“We just want to make sure we don’t want any problems with that because we’re used to training on our [training] field.
“So we thought Manchester City – they’re happy enough to lend us their pitch. We want to train there just in case,” said Andrade, who added that Madrid had not been aware of the problems with the Old Trafford pitch.
Major doubt
Roberto Mancini’s side travel to Aston Villa that evening knowing they will be 15 points behind United in their title defence if Ferguson’s team defeat Norwich City at Old Trafford today.
Vincent Kompany is a major doubt due to the recurring calf injury that has ruled the City captain out for more than a month. Mancini said yesterday: “Vinnie is getting better. We hope we can recover him for the next game. We try for Aston Villa for Monday but it is difficult because he did not train with the team, he trained with the physio.”
However, Gareth Barry, who has not played due to a foot problem since the 3-1 loss at Southampton on February 9th, will return.
Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs, who is just one game short of 1,000 senior appearances, has signed a one-year contract extension. The deal will take Giggs beyond his 40th birthday.
