Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season, Real Madrid had never taken on Manchester City in the Champions League.
Now, it’s become the most-played fixture in the competition so there’s a real sense of deja vu as the two giants face each other for the 15th time on Wednesday night.
Between them, they’ve lifted the trophy in three of the last four seasons, Real Madrid franking their status as the kings of this tournament with triumphs in 2022 and 2024.
The 15-time winners – eight more than anyone else – knocked City out of the competition last season when both were forced to go into the playoffs after stuttering campaigns, Real Madrid finishing the eight-game league phase in 11th and City in 22nd.
It formed part of a run of four losses in six games for City but the madness they suffered last season seems to have largely evaporated.
Pep Guardiola’s team head into this latest clash against Madrid on the back of three straight wins which have moved them to second place, and just two points behind leaders Arsenal, in the Premier League.
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, by contrast, is under serious scrutiny after guiding his team to just two wins in the last seven.
A 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend amid reports of an unhappy dressing room has led to speculation about his future.
So far in this season’s Champions League, Madrid (12pts) lost 1-0 at Liverpool but victories in their other four ties mean they sit in fifth place.
But City (10 points) slipped outside the top eight automatic qualifying places with a shock 2-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen last time.
How to watch Real Madrid v Man City
Real Madrid v Man City kicks off at 20:00 (UK) on Wednesday, December 10 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and Amazon Prime Video with coverage starting from 19:00.
Real Madrid team news
The hosts have mounting problems in defence.
Los Blancos are still without Dani Carvajal while there are doubts over both David Alaba and former Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.
It doesn’t end there. Eder Militao limped off against Celta Vigo with a hamstring injury that will almost certainly rule him out while Trent Alexander-Arnold’s difficult start in Spain looks set to continue with the ex-Liverpool star still suffering with a thigh strain.
French left-back Ferland Mendy is also on the treatment table.
Real had Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia sent off at the weekend but those bans will only apply domestically.
Real Madrid expected line-up
(4-3-3) Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Tchouameni, Camavinga, Bellingham; Guler, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe.
Man City team news
Pep Guardiola has far more choices although Rodri’s continued absence is a concern in a game as big as this.
In defence, John Stones missed the Sunderland game so will need to be assessed.
Guardiola gambled on his fringe players doing the job against Leverkusen and it backfired so expect him to go strong here.
Man City expected line-up
(4-3-3) Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Silva, Gonzalez, Reijnders; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Real Madrid v Man City stats
– This will be the 15th time that Real Madrid and Manchester City have faced each other in the UEFA Champions League.
– Manchester City have lost their last two games against Real Madrid, suffering defeats home and away against them in last season’s play-off round.
– Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has faced Real Madrid on 27 previous occasions, winning 48 percent of those matches (W13 D7 L7). However, Guardiola is winless in the most recent four against the Spanish side (D2 L2).
– This will be the first managerial meeting between Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid) and Pep Guardiola (Manchester City). Alonso made 79 appearances in his playing career under Guardiola (W58 D12 L9).
– Since November 2024, Manchester City have lost six of their 12 games played in the UEFA Champions League (W4 D2).
– Kylian Mbappe has scored nine goals in five games in the UEFA Champions League this season.
– Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has scored more goals in the UEFA Champions League than any other player since his debut campaign in 2019-20 (54).
Real Madrid v Man City predictions
The two sides are second in their domestic leagues but both are still prone to throwing in an iffy performance.
There are probably more doubts surrounding Madrid but Manchester City roaring into a 5-1 lead but only hanging on to win 5-4 against Fulham in their last away outing hints at vulnerability.
If either isn’t on it here, they could be punished.
The betting reflects how balanced this tie is, with Real very narrow favourites at 6/4 and City 13/8.
But, overall, individual players seem to be more trustworthy right now than the two teams themselves.
For Madrid, Kylian Mbappe has fired in nine goals in his five Champions League matches this season.
He’s also flourished against City, netting seven goals in his seven meetings with them.
The 10/11 for the Frenchman to score looks the bet of the night against a City side conceding plenty.
For the visitors, Phil Foden has been outscoring Erling Haaland in the last few games.
The England midfielder has racked up five goals in his last three starts while he also bagged a brace in City’s 4-1 win over Borussia Dortmund earlier in this competition.
Foden has wheeled away in celebration in the Bernabeu before so back him to do so again at 12/5.
