Real Madrid and Manchester City renew their thrilling Champions League rivalry when they meet in the first leg of their quarter-final tie on Tuesday night.
These two clubs will now have faced off in each of the past three Champions League campaigns, with City avenging their heartbreaking semi-final defeat in 2022 by battering Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of last season’s semi-final.
City have the advantage of playing the return leg on home soil, as they’re travelling to the Spanish capital for the opening fixture.
The Cityzens head into the contest having recorded back-to-back wins in style, while Real Madrid enjoyed a week off as Spain sat down to enjoy the Copa del Rey final. Madrid have impressed domestically this term and are set to canter to the league title, but they were forced to work in the round of 16 against RB Leipzig to set up this blockbuster tie.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Tuesday’s first leg in Madrid.
Real Madrid vs Man City H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (all competitions)
|
Real Madrid |
Man City |
|---|---|
|
Real Madrid 2-0 Athletic Club – 31/03/24 |
Crystal Palace 2-4 Man City – 06/04/24 |
|
Osasuna 2-4 Real Madrid – 16/03/24 |
Man City 4-1 Aston Villa – 03/04/24 |
|
Real Madrid 4-0 Celta Vigo – 10/03/24 |
Man City 0-0 Arsenal – 31/03/24 |
|
Real Madrid 1-1 RB Leipzig – 06/03/24 |
Man City 2-0 Newcastle – 16/03/24 |
|
Valencia 2-2 Real Madrid – 02/03/24 |
Liverpool 1-1 Man City – 10/03/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
TNT Sports 2, discovery+ App, discovery+ |
|
United States |
UniMás, Univision NOW, TUDN App, ViX, Paramount+, TUDN.com, TUDN USA |
|
Canada |
DAZN |
The hosts have had plenty of time to prepare for Tuesday’s first leg and are pretty healthy on the injury front.
Federico Valverde is fine to start after shaking off a knock, while Eder Militao could make his first start since August after recovering from an ACL tear.
Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba remain out of action, while bit-part player Dani Ceballos has recovered from a minor issue.
Madrid predicted lineup vs Man City (4-3-1-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Militao, Mendy; Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde; Bellingham; Vinicius, Rodrygo.
City are unlikely to have Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker available again with the pair absent from training on Monday.
Fellow defender Josko Gvardiol also missed Monday’s session and is a doubt for the first leg after picking up a knock on Saturday.
Phil Foden will return to the team after earning a rest at the weekend. Ederson could also make his comeback after a month out.
Man City predicted lineup vs Madrid (4-3-3): Ederson; Akanji, Stones, Dias, Lewis; Rodri, Foden, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Haaland, Grealish.
Are City showing signs of finding their imperious groove? Their two previous performances were certainly impressive and Pep Guardiola has done an excellent job of rotating his squad around to maintain freshness.
Thus, fatigue shouldn’t play a major role on Tuesday despite Madrid’s extended rest. City are well prepared for such a demanding schedule.
These sides have played out some unpredictable European classics in recent memory, with thrills more likely in the second leg. City will want to control the contest in Madrid, but the hosts boast the superstars capable of undermining the visitors’ desires.
Expect a similar result to last season’s semi-final – one that’d certainly benefit City.
Prediction: Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
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