Manchester City face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League play-off tie tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side facing a difficult task to make the competition's last 16.
City travel to the Spanish capital looking to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg, after a late lapse in concentration saw them turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 loss thanks to late goals from Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham.
And while Saturday’s 4-0 demolition of Newcastle will give City plenty of hope, an away match against tournament royalty is a decidedly more difficult task.
City have won just once at the Bernabeu – in 2019/20 – and they will need to repeat that feat if they are to have any chance of making the next round, with tonight’s match promising yet more drama between these two great recent rivals.
Here’s everything you need to know:
When is Real Madrid vs Manchester City?
The match kicks off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday, 19 February at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
How can I watch the match?
The match will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can also watch online via discovery+.
What is the team news?
Carlo Ancelotti has no new injury concerns after the weekend’s draw to Osasuna, with the Italian potentially welcoming back some key names.
Reports from Spain suggest that Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba and Lucas Vasquez could all return to the squad tonight, though Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain out for the season.
City boss Guardiola now knows that he will be without Manuel Akanji for around eight weeks, and there will also be late fitness tests for Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake, who both sat out the weekend’s win over Newcastle.
There were some fears that Erling Haaland had injured himself towards the end of the weekend’s win, but Guardiola later said that the “doctors didn’t come with bad news” regarding the issue.
Confirmed line-ups
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Mendy; Tchouameni, Ceballoes, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Man City XI: Ederson, Khusanov, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol, Nico Gonzalez, Gundogan, Bernardo, Foden, Savinho, Marmoush
Odds
Madrid win - 5/6
Draw - 10/3
Man City win - 13/5
The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
Prediction
City’s win over Newcastle showed that they are still capable of brilliant performances, though Madrid have become experts at winning matches in this competition, and it looks unlikely that City will have enough to grab an away win to overturn the deficit from the first leg.
Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City.
