Man City vs Real Madrid Preview & Prediction | 2023-24 UEFA Champions League | Quarter-Final
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THE FACTS
When is Man City vs Real Madrid on and what time does it start? Man City vs Real Madrid will take place on Wednesday 17th April, 2024 – 20:00 (UK)
Where can I get tickets for Man City vs Real Madrid? Visit each club’s official website for the latest ticket information
What channel is Man City vs Real Madrid on in the UK? Man City vs Real Madrid will be televised live on TNT Sports in the UK
Where can I stream Man City vs Real Madrid in the UK? Man City vs Real Madrid can be streamed live on the discovery+
THE LOWDOWN
MAN CITY
Manchester City had a major boost in the aspirations to complete a historic ‘double treble’ at the weekend as they hammered Luton Town by five goals to one at the Etihad Stadium. That was followed up by both title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool suffering surprise home defeats to Aston Villa and Crystal Palace respectively.
That means Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens head into this week sitting at the top-of-the-table in the Premier League with an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley at the weekend. In the meantime, though, they host Real Madrid in a European knockout tie for a third successive season with all of the attention on east Manchester this week.
REAL MADRID
Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid have done as Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid do: win by any means and at all costs even without playing overly well or remotely fluently. Los Blancos have played 44 matches across all competitions so far this season and suffered just two defeats with both losses coming against city rivals Atletico at the Metropolitano.
They avoided defeat last week at the Bernabeu with Fede Valverde scoring a 79th minute equaliser to mean we head into this second-leg at the Etihad Stadium at three goals apiece. Since that first-leg, Madrid have edged past Real Mallorca by a goal to nil with a 48th minute winner from Aurelien Tchouameni.
THE TEAM NEWS
MAN CITY
Pep Guardiola has said that Kyle Walker may be able to play ‘some minutes’ against Real Madrid but he has been keen to remain cautious over the Englishman returning from injury. Ederson is expected to start in goal after Stefan Ortega played in the first-leg.
PREDICTED XI (3-2-4-1): Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Stones, Rodri; Foden, De Bruyne, Silva, Grealish; Haaland
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Walker (Injured)
REAL MADRID
After a couple of minutes last weekend, Aurelien Tchouameni was booked for a challenge on Jack Grealish and he is suspended for this second-leg. He joins both Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba on the sidelines with those players missing through injury.
PREDICTED XI (4-1-2-1-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Militao, Mendy; Kroos; Valverde, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
UNAVAILABLE: Courtois (Injured), Alaba (Injured), Tchouameni (Suspended)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE KEY STATS
- Man. City are aiming for a fourth successive Champions League semi-final appearance
- Man. City are unbeaten in their last 23 UEFA club competition matches (W16 D7), since losing away from home against Real Madrid in May 2022 (L 3-1 SF 2nd leg). Only Espanyol have achieved this feat previously, they went on to play 26 successive UEFA matches without a defeat (2006-2019).
- Man. City are unbeaten in their last 22 UEFA Champions League matches (W16 D6). Only Man. United have had a longer unbeaten run in the competition: 25 Manchester United 19/09/2007–05/05/2009, 22 Manchester City 06/09/2022 – present.
- Man. City have scored three goals in all their nine UEFA Champions League matches this season. They are the first team to score three goals or more in nine consecutive matches in the UEFA Champions League.
- Man. City have lost only one of their last 13 UEFA competition matches against Spanish teams (W8 D4).
- Man. City have won their last six UEFA competition home games against Spanish clubs and are unbeaten in eight (W7 D1), since a 2-1 loss against Barcelona in the 2014/15 Champions League round of 16 first leg.
- Man. City have won their last three UEFA competition matches at home against Real Madrid and are unbeaten in all of their five meetings in Manchester (W3 D2).
- Man. City have only lost one of their previous ten UEFA quarter-final matches at home (W8 D1).
- Man. City are unbeaten in their last seven matches in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (W4 D3).
- Man. City are unbeaten in their last 29 UEFA Champions League matches in their own stadium (W27 D2), since a 2-1 loss to Lyon on Matchday 1 in 2018/19.
- Man. City have won their last 12 UEFA Champions League matches in their own stadium.
- Man. City have lost the second leg in only one of their last 13 UEFA competition two-legged ties (W9 D3).
- Man. City have not lost a UEFA Champions League knockout match in their own stadium since a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool in the 2017/18 quarter-finals. Their record since then is W11 D1.
- Bernado Silva’s last 11 UEFA Champions League goals have all been scored in the knockout rounds.
- Man. City have won all nine ties in UEFA competition in which they drew the away first leg, most recently against Real Madrid in last season's semi-finals.
- Real Madrid have won their last 11 UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties.
- Real Madrid have won their previous six UEFA Champions League quarter-final ties against English teams, including in each of the last three seasons.
- Real Madrid have won seven and drawn two of their previous nine UEFA Champions League matches this season.
- The 4-0 defeat away from home in the second leg of the 2022/23 semi-finals against Man City is Real Madrid’s only defeat in their last 16 UEFA Champions League matches (W12 D3).
- Real Madrid have only failed to score in one of their last 28 UEFA competition matches. The only time was in the 4-0 defeat away from home in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Man City.
- Real Madrid have lost only two of their last 12 matches in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (W8 D2).
- A goal for Rodrygo would see him become the fifth youngest player to score 20 UEFA Champions League goals (GS to F) - his age on the day of this match is 23y 99d. The four players who have reached the landmark at a younger age are: Erling Haaland (20y 231d), Kylian Mbappé (21y 355d), Lionel Messi (22y 266d) and Raúl González (22y 297d).
- Real Madrid have drawn at home in the first leg of 11 previous UEFA competition ties and have recorded only two aggregate victories.
THE PREDICTION
In the semi-finals in 2022, City edged past Madrid with a 4-3 thriller at the Etihad before their dramatic loss late on in the second-leg. However, last season perhaps showed the advantage of playing at the Etihad second even more so as City came away from the Spanish capital with a draw and then blew Madrid away by four goals to nil. Guardiola, in the recently published Netflix documentary of City’s treble success, was seen discussing the importance of the second-leg being at home. Ancelotti has said he knows his team will have more about them than they did in that aforementioned hammering last season but the truth is, City remain firm favourites and the return of Kyle Walker, for however long he can manage, only strengthens that view due to the success he has had against Vinicius Junior, the visitors’ key man, in the recent past.
TIP: MAN CITY TO WIN
