Manchester City host Real Madrid tonight in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final as Pep Guardiola aims to reach the final for a successive year.
Their opponents, Real Madrid, will be looking to progress to claim a record 14th Champions League trophy. Here’s everything you need to know about the big game.
What time is Manchester City v Real Madrid?
Manchester City v Real Madrid kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday, April 26, at the Etihad Stadium.
Is Manchester City v Real Madrid on TV? What about streaming?
Yes, the match will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Ultimate.
BT Sport subscribers will also be able to view the match via the BT Sport App.
What’s the latest team news?
City will be without Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo after the full-back accumulated enough yellow cards in previous rounds to warrant a one-game suspension. Guardiola’s defensive dilemma doesn’t stop there though, as England duo Kyle Walker and John Stones are both major doubts due to injury, with the pair missing City’s 5-1 mauling of Watford last weekend.
Both Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake returned from injuries to be involved in Saturday’s win, with the former starting his first match in more than a month for the Citizens.
Wales skipper Gareth Bale travelled with the squad but Real Madrid are likely to be without Austrian centre-back David Alaba after manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the defender remains a doubt as he is struggling with an abductor problem.
Alaba would be a huge miss for Los Blancos as the player has started 44 games in all competitions this season, proving to be a crucial member of Madrid's squad since last summer’s move from Bayern Munich. Other doubts, including Brazilian enforcer Casemiro and French full-back Ferland Mendy, have travelled to Manchester along with Alaba.
What have the managers said?
Pep Guardiola: “We have to be so precise against them. I said to the players: ‘Enjoy it, prepare for the game. It could be once in a lifetime [experience], nobody knows.’ There is no sense to not enjoy it. We want to be ourselves.
“That’s why big clubs stay there for a long time. When you win, take a shower and go again. We are learning that. I felt that in Barcelona as a young boy and we are trying to build that culture where we have to win every game and fight to win every game.
“The history is there – we cannot change it but it’s 11 v 11. The players will decide this. We are playing a team who have been here many times, that’s why they have this history and we don’t. We can’t imagine what is going to happen but it’s 11 v 11 so it is about how the players move, how strong they are mentally, that will make the difference. Carlo and myself won’t win it. The players will.
“If we have to compete with history, we don’t have any chance. They are better, it speaks for itself. But we have the desire to play against them and take on this incredible test and we want to improve. We are going to suffer together and then, when we attack, do it as well as possible. This would be the same against Bayern Munich or Barça. They’ve been in it many times. Before the last decade we were never here. Reaching the final [last year] is a good lesson for us and for the future it will be good.”
Carlo Ancelotti: “The favourites were PSG, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City. We are happy to be here and competing. I have always said Real Madrid would compete. We are going to compete and fight 100 per cent. But for Real Madrid it is not normally a success to reach the semi-finals. We feel it is a success to get to the final and that is the objective.
“Real Madrid has history, tradition and quality to compete until the end. Now we have a tough challenge against City. The new rule of goals away from home, which are no longer worth twice as much, makes these challenges more balanced and exciting.
“I can say that I’m a lucky coach. I’m training a team I feel very identified with and a team that gives me great satisfaction. I’m the one who has to thank Real Madrid for giving me the opportunity to train this team again.”
What are the latest betting odds?
Manchester City – 4/9
Draw – 7/2
Real Madrid – 11/2
Match facts
- The two teams share an equal record with both sides recorded two wins each as well as the pair playing out two draws in their six games against each other.
- The most recent tie between the two came in 2019/20 when City won both legs by a score line of 2-1, thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus (2), Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
- Manchester City have only failed to score in two of their six games against Madrid.
- Manchester City are unbeaten at the Etihad Stadium vs Real Madrid, winning one and drawing two of their games with La Liga’s leaders.
- Although Manchester City have only reached the semi-final stage twice prior to this season, one of these times was against Real Madrid, with the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw at the Etihad followed by a 1-0 Madrid win in the Bernabeu.
- Manchester City haven’t lost a Champions League game at the Etihad Stadium since September 2018, which was a 2-1 group stage win for Lyon. Since then City have gone unbeaten in 18 Champions League home matches in Manchester.
- Real Madrid have lost three matches already this Champions League campaign, the last team to have won the competition with this many losses at the semi-final stage were Liverpool in 2018/19.
- Real Madrid have only won three matches of their last ten against English opposition but did beat Liverpool in the 2018 final during that run.
