Real Madrid vs Manchester City – News and Probable Lineups

The 16th encounter of the Champions League between Real Madrid and Manchester City is set to unfold at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, with both teams clashing for the first leg of their round of 16 matchup.

This eagerly awaited game will mark the first time in the history of the competition that it’s played in the knockout phase for five successive tournaments.

Match overview

With aspirations of clinching a record-extending 16th European title this season, Real Madrid found themselves in the Champions League knockout round playoffs after finishing ninth in the League Phase, just one spot and one point behind Manchester City after a tough end to the phase, where they lost three of their last five matches.

A 4-2 loss to Benfica on matchday eight forced Los Blancos into the playoffs, but they managed to turn the tide by defeating the Portuguese team 3-1 on aggregate to reach the last 16 for the 23rd consecutive season since the round was introduced in the 2003-04 Champions League.

Since that point, Real Madrid has had a mixed bag of results in La Liga, which included a surprising 1-0 defeat to Getafe followed by a dramatic 2-1 victory against Celta Vigo last Friday. Captain Federico Valverde scored a last-minute winner, keeping them just four points off league leaders and rivals Barcelona with 11 games still to play.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid will return to the Bernabeu, where they have managed four wins and only one loss in their five home Champions League games this season, netting 12 goals in the process, although that solitary loss was against Manchester City back in December, where they were defeated 2-1 on matchday five of the League Phase.

In fact, the Spanish giants have lost their last four UEFA encounters against English teams, but they boast a strong home record in the Champions League, having only suffered three defeats in their last 25 home matches (W19 D3) against all teams. They can also take solace in the fact that they have triumphed in 13 of their last 15 UCL last-16 encounters, winning the first leg in 10 of their most recent 12 matchups at this stage.

Following a disappointing 22nd place finish in the League Phase before facing a 6-3 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in last season’s playoffs, Manchester City gathered 16 points from eight League Phase matches this season to achieve automatic qualification for the last 16.

One of their five League Phase wins included that notable 2-1 victory at Real Madrid – marking just their second win in eight outings at the Bernabeu (D2 L4) – thanks to strikes from Erling Haaland and Nico O’Reilly. They also came out on top against Napoli, Villarreal, Borussia Dortmund, and Galatasaray, securing a 2-0 win over the latter at home on matchday eight.

Since that triumph at the end of January, Pep Guardiola’s team has engaged in nine domestic matches, winning seven and drawing two. A frustrating 2-2 draw in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest last week has seen them fall seven points behind title rivals Arsenal at the top. However, they responded well, with a much-changed lineup beating Newcastle 3-1 in the FA Cup fifth round last Saturday.

Guardiola is preparing for his 190th Champions League match as a manager, which will put him level with Sir Alex Ferguson. His Manchester City squad approaches Wednesday’s fixture against Real Madrid with only two wins from their last eight UCL away games (D1 L5), and they have lost seven of their last ten two-legged ties against Spanish teams in UEFA contests.

Nevertheless, City have been defeated in only three of their last 18 UEFA clashes with Spanish sides (W10 D5) and have already emerged victorious in both away fixtures against Spanish opposition in this season’s competition, defeating Real Madrid and Villarreal (2-0) during the League Phase.

Team News

Real Madrid’s key players Kylian Mbappe (knee) and Jude Bellingham (hamstring) are both anticipated to be unavailable for Wednesday’s match due to injury, joining Rodrygo (ACL), Eder Militao (hamstring), and Dani Ceballos (calf) on the sidelines, while Eduardo Camavinga (dental) and David Alaba (calf) face uncertainty.

Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, and Franco Mastantuono are all set to return from domestic suspensions, with the former likely to replace Ferland Mendy at left-back. Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, and Trent Alexander-Arnold may also form part of the back four.

If fit, Camavinga is expected to replace 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch and partner with Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni in central midfield. Arda Guler could also play a central role if he is not assigned to the right flank.

Vinicius Junior, who has been unable to find the net in his last six encounters with Manchester City, has scored 12 of his last 13 Champions League goals in the second half of games, and is anticipated to take his place on the left side of a front three, with either Gonzalo Garcia or former City youth player Brahim Diaz leading the attack.

On the Manchester City side, Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel) are the only known injury absentees, and Guardiola is expected to revert to a strong starting lineup following ten changes against Newcastle over the weekend.

Haaland, who was rested previously, is slated to spearhead the attack – the Norwegian has notched 56 goals in his 56 Champions League appearances and has scored 10 goals in his last 10 matches against Spanish teams in the competition, including a penalty converted at the Bernabeu in December.

Matheus Nunes is likely to continue at right-back, preparing to face off against Vinicius Jr, and he will join Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, and Rayan Ait-Nouri in defence, while Rodri, O’Reilly, and captain Bernardo Silva are the expected trio in midfield.

Guardiola faces a significant decision regarding the selection of his attacking players with Haaland and Antoine Semenyo. Omar Marmoush scored twice against Newcastle, while Savinho was also on target last weekend, but they will contend with Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, and Jeremy Doku for a starting berth.

Real Madrid probable starting XI

Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asensio, Rudiger, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; G. Garcia, Vinicius Jr

Manchester City probable starting XI

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Bernard, Rodry, O’Reilly; Semen, Haaland, Marmoush

The anticipated absence of top scorer Mbappe and crucial midfielder Bellingham poses a significant setback for Real Madrid as they gear up to face a revitalized Manchester City squad, who have already secured a victory in the Spanish capital this season and carry an impressive 11-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.

Los Blancos should never be underestimated in any contest, particularly in the Champions League, but it seems that Guardiola’s team might just manage to secure a narrow advantage to take back to the Etihad Stadium for the second leg next week.