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Who: Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Contents: Champions League last 16, second leg
Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
When: Tuesday 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Manchester City hosts Real Madrid, who are on the verge of being eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, just six days after the Spanish giants suffered a 3-0 defeat to the former Premier League champions in the first leg of their round of 16 tie at the Bernabéu.
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It was an unforgettable night for Josep Guardiola’s side. City will give their all in front of their home fans at the Etihad Stadium in the decisive second leg if they want to avoid a repeat of last season’s knockout loss at the hands of Los Blancos.
Real Madrid’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals will be boosted by the possible return of superstar Kylian Mbappé, who will travel with the team to Manchester for Tuesday’s crucial match.
What happened in the last-16 first leg match between Real and City?
Real Madrid thrashed Manchester City 3-0 in the opening game, with Federico Valverde scoring his first career hat-trick and the Premier League side holding a formidable goal difference in the return leg.
It was arguably the standout moment of the Uruguayan international’s Real career, as he scored in the 20th, 27th and 42nd minutes to end City’s short-lived challenge despite star players Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo being absent through injury.
How did Real Madrid perform in La Liga this weekend?
Turkey’s Arda Güler boldly smashed in a 65-metre (71-yard) screamer from his own half to score what is sure to be a favorite for the goal of the season, as Real Madrid beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga on Saturday, and Valverde capped off a great week with a superb strike.
Los Blancos are second in the league standings and remain four points behind leaders Barcelona with 10 matches remaining in the domestic season.
Have Man City bounced back in the Premier League after their crushing defeat to Real Madrid?
Manchester City surprisingly fell down the table at the hands of Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday and were held to a 1-1 draw with bottom-placed West Ham United, leaving them nine points behind the leaders with eight games left in the season, although they still have a game in hand.
Despite the disappointing result, Guardiola remained defiant, insisting City had no intention of throwing in the towel.
“It’s not over. Who said that? We haven’t lost. We’re going to keep going.”
“We have nine points against Arsenal, but it happened. It’s a home game so we have to try until the end.”
direct confrontation
City and Real have met 16 times, with Madrid favored with six wins and Manchester with five. This will be the fifth consecutive season that the two clubs will meet in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Real Madrid eliminated City in the last 16 last season, in the quarter-finals in 2024 and in the semi-finals in 2022. City defeated Madrid in the semi-finals in 2023 to win the Champions League trophy for the first time.
Manchester City team news
Guardiola has his squad almost completely intact ahead of the return leg against Real.
Rico Luiz and defender Josko Gvardiol remain sidelined due to long-term injuries.
In a boost for City, midfielder Mateo Kovacic is available as a substitute in Saturday’s game against West Ham after being sidelined for several months due to injury.
Expected lineup:
Donnarumma (goalkeeper); Nunez, Díaz, Guehi, Ait Nouri. Bernardo, Rodri, O’Reilly. Semenyo, Haaland, Marmush
Real Madrid team news
Things are looking up for Madrid, with talisman Mbappé missing the first leg against City with a knee injury, but will travel to England for the final.
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa said on Friday that he is “confident” that Mbappe will be available to play against Manchester City.
“He’s getting better every day,” Arbeloa said at a news conference. “I’m sure he will take part in the trip to Manchester.”
Mbappe scored 38 goals in 33 games for Real Madrid in the 2025-2026 season, but it is not certain that he will start at the Etihad Stadium. With Madrid holding a three-goal advantage in the opening game, Arbeloa is likely to start Gonzalo García up front alongside Vinicius Junior and bring Mbappe off the bench.
Another good news for Arbeloa is that key midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, who was in doubt for this match, is now available for selection.
Regular starters Bellingham and Rodrygo remain sidelined, as do Edith Militao, Dani Ceballos and David Alaba.
Starting candidate:
Courtois (goalkeeper); Alexander-Arnold, Huisen, Rudiger, Fran Garcia. Valverde, Choameni, Camavinga. Güler, Vinicius Jr., Gonzalo Garcia
form guide
Manchester City: WDWLD (all competitions, latest results last)
Real Madrid: WWWW
