man city real madrid

The last two champions of Europe come to blows tonight as Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tonight at the Etihad Stadium.

Celtic, the first British club to win the trophy when they did so in 1967, will face Bayern Munich at Celtic Park on 12 February before the Bundesliga club host Brendan Rodgers’ side at Allianz Arena in the second leg on 18 February.

After the nail-biting conclusion of the competition’s first league stage, some of Europe’s biggest clubs have unexpectedly found themselves facing a two-legged knockout fixture to reach the round of 16 With UEFA adopting a new tennis-style draw that operates two separate paths (Silver and Blue) to the final, the bracket after the playoff draw has opened up a clear route to the Champions League final in Munich at the end of the season.

It’s the nightmare draw for both clubs: the Champions League winners of 2022 against the 2023 champions. On the past three occasions City and Real have met in the knockout stages, the winners of the tie have gone on to win that season’s competition.

Kylian Mbappe scored Los Blancos’ goal against their city rivals. The Frenchman has been criticised at times this season but he has still scored 22 goals, with three assists in 34 games in all competitions. He is yet to win the Champions League in his illustrious career.

There is nothing to separate City and Real Madrid in a head-to-head record. They have played each other 12 times in the Champions League with each team winning four, losing four and drawing four. However, when it comes to lifting the trophy, Los Blancos have won it 15 times, when City have triumphed just once in the competition.

Two of the biggest football clubs, Manchester City and Real Madrid, are gearing up for their thrilling clash in the UEFA Champions League playoffs for the Round of 16. With both teams’ recent performances and the history of their past encounters, predicting the outcome is no easy feat. However, what can be predicted is that the tie will be nothing short of a battle with two masterminds of football Pep and Carlo trying to outwit each other at the Etihad on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid is entering a tense phase of their season. Following their 1-1 draw in a crucial derby against Atlético before their showdown with City, the side featuring the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo will try and break the City defense that hasn’t been itself lately.

As reigning Champions League holders, Madrid enters the encounter with a strong offensive record, having netted 20 goals in the competition so far. This makes their attack one of the most formidable among the semifinalists. However, there are concerns as David Alaba’s injury has weakened their defense, and Antonio Rüdiger has looked shaky when playing in a high defensive line, a chink in the armour that Guardiola will undoubtedly aim to exploit.

Manchester City came close to dropping out of the Champions League but managed to secure a spot in the knockout rounds after a crucial win against Club Brugge in the final group match In the league, things have been somewhat better for City. Since December 21, they’ve only suffered one defeat, though it was a humiliating 5-1 loss to Arsenal in their latest match. With four wins from their last six fixtures, their form is

solid, but occasional lapses serve as a reminder that this is no longer the dominant City side that once instilled fear across Europe The squad is packed with world-class players, but when their talents aren’t enough, management steps in with additions like Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov. Marmoush is being touted as the “new Salah,” and Khusanov offers a fresh perspective from Uzbekistan.

Among them is the highly anticipated Manchester City vs Real Madrid fixture. The two sides have met in each of the last 3 Champions League seasons, with the winner of the tie ultimately becoming Champions Ancelotti’s men would go on to win the Champions League title for the 15th time in their history, while they also came out on top in La Liga.

The Man City boss said: “It’s impossible in 90 minutes to control these four players. Everyone knows it. We have to reduce their involvement as much as possible, knowing it will (not always) happen and accept that. Both teams had problems with injuries through the season.

Real Madrid travel to Man City on Tuesday night and Ancelotti is expecting a tough match despite the Citizens’ position in the Premier League. “They are the most important rival with the best manager. It’s a nightmare for me preparing against Pep (Guardiola) because he always has ideas that make you think.

“The team who passes this round has the possibility to go far in the competition. The last three years, whoever won this tie won the Champions League. Maybe it can happen this year as well.”

The Etihad Stadium will host the blockbuster fixture between Manchester City and Real Madrid on February 12. The La Liga giants have won five out of eight Champions League matches this season. Having defeated Brest 3-0 in their previous match, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will now be eyeing a second consecutive victory in the competition.

Rodri is the only player that Manchester City will definitely be without for this game. New signing Nico Gonzalez limped off over the weekend as he made his debut in the FA Cup but has since been spotted in training. Ederson, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku have minor knocks but could soon be back involved again.

“Since I have been here this is maybe the most difficult season so far,” Manchester City center-back Ruben Dias said during his press conference ahead of the game. “But I am a firm believer that in the most difficult scenario, you can still achieve something beautiful.

When the two clubs met last year in the quarterfinals, a penalty shootout decided the winner. Real Madrid came out on top and went on to win the Champions League for a record-15th time. City will be out for revenge, and they will have a sea of blue shirts in their corner come the big match.

Unlike the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, the first leg in Manchester is guaranteed to only be 90 minutes long. Even if both sides are level, the referee will still blow the final whistle at the conclusion of stoppage time in the second half.

Having endured the worst phase as a manager in his entire career, there are assertions that Pep Guardiola’s position as the Man City chief is no more undisputed. Amid the adversity, City will take on their long-term rivals Real Madrid in the playoff round of the UCL tonight. The first leg of the contest will

take place at City’s home, Etihad. It will be the 4th time in the last four years that these sides will cross paths at the biggest club competition in Europe. One could always expect a cracker of a game when these two sides meet and on Tuesday nothing different will be expected even this time.

He added: “Of course it would be good to continue for the club, for the prestige to win this competition. I like to feel that we are week by week, month by month, we are there. Now I would feel, yeah, the team is consistent, we can do it.

“You never know before the game what’s going to happen, how they react. But always you have a feeling with the players that the players are always there. Now we have a lot of injuries, players are a little bit up and down.

“We are not being consistent. What defined that team in the last decade is we are an incredible machine every three days. So otherwise, we cannot win six Premier Leagues in seven years and win the incredible trophies that we want. And after we can win, lose because the opponents are good, but we are not being consistent.”

He added: “Of course it would be good to continue for the club, for the prestige to win this competition. I like to feel that we are week by week, month by month, we are there. Now I would feel, yeah, the team is consistent, we can do it.

This would allow Valverde to return to his preferred midfield role, maintaining balance across the pitch. With Tchouameni almost certain to feature as a centre-back, this adjustment affects the midfield setup by reducing competition for places.

The defensive reshuffle could impact the dynamics in midfield, but Camavinga has a strong chance of reclaiming his starting role. His recent return, even for just ten minutes in the derby, signals that he is ready to make a meaningful contribution.

Real Madrid are always alert to up and coming young talents in Spain and outside and make it a point to monitor their progress with a view of potentially signing them.