UEFA Champions League: Play off (1st leg)
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Time: 2300hrs (EAT)
What you need to know
- Pep Guardiola’s side squeaked into the play-offs by virtue of a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge on Matchday 8. They finished a lowly 22nd in the table to set up this blockbuster tie.
- the Citizens remain unblemished at their Etihad headquarters in 2025 – beating Chelsea, Club Brugge, Salford City and West Ham United while scoring at least three goals on each occasion
- Two of City’s first seven Champions League matches this term saw the 2022-23 winners come up trumps, and Club Brugge threatened the shock of all shocks at the Etihad on the final matchday, but thanks to a 3-1 comeback triumph whic propelled City into the top-24 positions.
- Real Madrid have dumped out an English club from the knockout stages in each of the last four UCL campaigns.
- Some Blancos players are also walking a suspension tightrope, as Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Endrick and Aurelien Tchouameni will all miss the second leg if they are booked at the Etihad.
Form last six games
Man City: WLWWLW
Real Madrid: DWLWWW
Head-to-head last six games
Man City:1
Draw: 3
Real Madrid:2
Possible starting line-ups
Man City: Ederson; Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Silva, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Camavinga, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe.
Players to watch
Man City: Erling Haaland
Real Madrid: Rodrygo
Injury list
Man City: Oscar Bobb (leg), Nathan Ake (muscle), Jeremy Doku (unspecified) and Rodri (ACL).
Real Madrid: Lucas Vazquez Antonio Rudiger (thigh), Dani Carvajal (knee), Eder Militao (knee) and David Alaba (muscle).
