Man City vs Real Madrid Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Champions League | League Phase

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For the 13th time since February 2020, Real Madrid and Manchester City face off against each other once again, albeit this time with the tie surely all but over already.

Kick-off date/time: 17 March 2026 at 8:00 pm

How to watch on TV: UK – Not televised / USA – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – Amazon Prime / USA – DAZN & Paramount+

Man City preview: Blip at the wrong time

Having tripped up against relegation-threatened duo Nottingham Forest and West Ham United in recent weeks, Manchester City have now fallen nine points behind Arsenal at the top-of-the-table in the Premier League, just when their fate was in their own hands.

Pep Guardiola’s side have given up whatever consistency and early spring improvement that they had found and they now need to come from three goals down, too, to see off 15-time European champions Real Madrid.

Real Madrid preview: Form at the right time

That is because Fede Valverde scored a magnificent hat-trick in the first-half of this first-leg at the Bernabeu last week. Madrid will be a little frustrated, though, to have not made it four with Vinicius Junior missing a second-half penalty.

Los Blancos have started to put in some excellent youngsters into the first-team squad under the management of Alvaro Arbeloa, with the Spanish giants hammering Elche by four goals to one in La Liga at the weekend.

Man City team news: Finding the balance

Despite seemingly playing their best football when Rayan Cherki was playing regularly, Guardiola has lamented the imbalance in the side when he’s in – he also suggested he made a mistake playing Antoine Semenyo ahead of Cherki against the low block of West Ham. 

With the visitors likely to sit back here, surely that would then suggest Cherki does start again.

Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri; Foden, Silva, Cherki, Doku; Haaland

Unavailable: Gvardiol (Injured)

Questionable: Alleyne (Injured), Stones (Injured), Lewis (Injured), Savinho (Injured)

Real Madrid team news: Jude and Mbappe in the squad

The youngsters are thriving at the Bernabeu but Madrid have been boosted by the return of both Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe to the squad. 

Bellingham is going to miss out, though, while Mbappe could feature. However, it would be a bit of a surprise of Arbeloa changed what worked so well last week.

Predicted XI (4-3-3): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, F. Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Pitarch; Guler, Brahim, Vinicius

Unavailable: Alaba (Injured), Mendy (Injured), Ceballos (Injured), Bellingham (Fitness), Rodrygo (Injured)

Questionable: Militao (Injured), Asencio (Injured), Carreras (Injured), Mbappe (Fitness)

Man City vs Real Madrid prediction

With increasing speculation suggesting that Pep Guardiola may well be departing this summer, Manchester City’s legendary boss may well prioritise ensuring his final season ends with silverware – and there is an EFL Cup final at the weekend. However, they simply cannot remotely try and take their eye off the ball here. That said, Madrid will be keen to counter-attack against a City side that are always susceptible on the break – even when they aren’t chasing things, and so siding with the old money seems the way to go.

Man City vs Real Madrid Tip: Double chance – Real Madrid to win or draw