Real Madrid booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League as they saw off a spirited Manchester City to progress.
Holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg, the Spanish side were in a commanding position and soon found themselves further on top despite a fast start from the hosts.
Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva was shown a red card, the first of his senior career, after rushing back to block a Vinicius Jr shot with his arm on the line, with the Brazilian stepping up to convert from the penalty spot and .eir familiar foes as they exited the competition to Real for the third successive season, despite Erling Haaland equalising just before half time. A second goal in stoppage time for Vinicius added gloss, and another huge tie awaits the victors – it looks likely to be Bayern Munich up next with the Bundesliga giants 6-1 up on Atalanta after their first leg.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid live
- Real Madrid knock Manchester City out of Champions League for third successive season
- FT: Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (1-5 agg.)
- GOAL! Manchester City 1-2 REAL MADRID (Vinicius Jr, 90 + 3 minutes)
- GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 Real Madrid (Erling Haaland, 42 minutes)
- GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 REAL MADRID (Vinicius Jr penalty, 22 minutes)
- RED CARD! Manchester City down to 10 men as Bernardo Silva sent off for hand ball
Jeremy Doku reacts to Manchester City’s defeat
22:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle”I feel like we had enough chances,” the Belgian tells Amazon Prime. “We played well, especially with 10. It was always going to be difficult, and we are disappointed with the loss today.
“It is a hard reality. When you look at the games, it doesn’t feel like they were much better than us; when you look at the score, it feels like it is obvious.
“I feel like every game is different. Playing there, losing 3-0 changed the game here. They didn’t need to score, so that changes the game. Real Madrid has always had a really good team, they are quality.
“Bernardo Silva is our captain. He’s the most disappointed of all of us. It’s not his fault.”
FT: Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (1-5 agg.)
22:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleComfortable, then, in the end for Real Madrid – though who knows if it might have been quite so straightforward had Manchester City taken one of a flurry of early chances. From the moment Bernardo Silva handled on the line and was sent off, and Vinicius Jr converted the penalty that followed, the tie was no longer really in doubt.
FULL TIME! Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (1-5 agg.)
21:56 , Harry Latham-Coyle
GOAL! Manchester City 1-2 REAL MADRID (Vinicius Jr, 90 + 3 minutes)
21:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleThat one will count! A brilliant ball from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Jr snares his second!
Manchester City had all but given up, and it’s a lovely, lovely goal, a first-time cross from Tcouameni delectably delivered and gobbled up by Vinicius beyond a helpless Marc Guehi.
OFFSIDE! Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 90 + 2 minutes
21:53 , Harry Latham-CoyleThat will be that! Vinicius Jr walks the ball into the back of the net as Real Madrid seal the tie in style.
Is he offside? He is! Oh, the Brazilian had taunted the crowd with his celebration, too, but had been off when Fede Valverde had drove the ball with his instep towards him. Vinicius had converted at the second attempt after a superb save from Gianluigi Donnarumma – or not, as the case may be.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 90 minutes
21:51 , Harry Latham-CoyleThree added minutes.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 89 minutes
21:50 , Harry Latham-CoyleInto the final knockings with Manchester City on their way out of Europe.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 86 minutes
21:47 , Harry Latham-CoyleVinicius Jr scored the penalty but hasn’t been anywhere near his best tonight. The Brazilian missed two marvellous chances just after scoring from the spot and there have been a couple of times in this second half where he might have made more of an opportunity.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 83 minutes
21:44 , Harry Latham-CoyleNow it is Real Madrid’s turn to be denied by the offside flag. Vinicius Jr is a yard beyond the Manchester City defence when he is set free, and the assistant referee eventually signals so, though only after a comical pinball routine of three missed chances before the ball ends up in the back of the net.
VAR has had a quick look at that Mbappe incident, which looked to mostly be outside of the box. No penalty. Trent Alexander-Arnold is replaced by Dani Carvajal.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 82 minutes
21:42 , Harry Latham-CoyleNow then! Kylian Mbappe tries to break away from Rayan Ait-Nouri but appears to have his shirt tugged by the Manchester City man before he gets in to make a challenge. A disbelieving Mbappe shakes his head when the referee suggests there has been no foul.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 80 minutes
21:41 , Harry Latham-CoyleTrent Alexander-Arnold goes into the book for hauling back Omar Marmoush. He accepts the caution without complaint.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 78 minutes
21:39 , Harry Latham-CoyleA second disallowed Manchester City goal – this time it is Rayan Ait-Nouri who has strayed too soon, with his celebrations cut short by the hoisting of the offside flag having headed home.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 77 minutes
21:38 , Harry Latham-CoyleSo it looks like a mixed night for the Premier League contingent in Europe – Chelsea are also on their way out after a heavy defeat to PSG, while Arsenal appear to have done enough against Bayer Leverkusen to progress.
Abdukodir Khusanov produces strong showing
21:36 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumIt isn’t the story of the night but Abdukodir Khusanov has been superb. He is incredibly quick, as Real know. He was going to play the Carabao Cup final anyway – Marc Guehi is ineligible – but it will be hard to keep him out of the team after this.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 75 minutes
21:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleThiago Pitarch and Arda Guler are replaced for Real Madrid. Edoardo Camavinga and Manuel Angel their replacements.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 73 minutes
21:34 , Harry Latham-CoyleMarc Guehi and Nathan Ake form an unlikely playmaking partnership as the two centre-halves, still up in the final third after a corner, tee up Rayan Cherki. Just wide.
Rodri takes leave; Nico Gonzalez is sent on. Pep Guardiola now, perhaps, thinking more squarely about the Carabao Cup final.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 71 minutes
21:33 , Harry Latham-CoyleAndriy Lunin has looked very composed since his half-time introduction. The Ukrainian has frustrated Manchester City before, of course, with a particularly good performance in the quarter-finals of this competition in 2024, from memory.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 69 minutes
21:30 , Harry Latham-CoyleCheers from the Real Madrid fans – here’s Kylian Mbappe, on for Brahim Diaz to make his return from injury.
He almost watches a goal immediately as Gianluigi Donnarumma saves smartly from Aurelien Tchouameni’s header.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 68 minutes
21:29 , Harry Latham-CoyleReal Madrid come forward with pace and purpose, but are then a little guilty of trying to pass it in. Vinicius Jr and Aurelien Tchouameni pass up shooting opportunities to instead set up Fran Garcia in a worse position, and Abdukodir Khusanov blocks.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 65 minutes
21:27 , Harry Latham-CoyleOne cannot at all say that this has been a comfortable night for Real Madrid – that’s 18 Manchester City shots now and counting. But the visitors are ever closer to a quarter-final place.
OFFSIDE! Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 63 minutes
21:24 , Harry Latham-CoyleManchester City have the ball in the back of the net…but Jeremy Doku is offside!
It’s a great run from the Belgian bursting beyond the Real Madrid defence before cooly finishing the chance, but he had gone too soon.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 62 minutes
21:23 , Harry Latham-CoyleVinicius Jr races in behind and knocks the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma, who stands like a statue in the Brazilian’s path. There’s not much that goalkeeper can do when Vinicius ploughs into him and then throws himself to floor, and the referee, Clement Turpin, agrees – no foul.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 60 minutes
21:22 , Harry Latham-CoyleAntoine Semenyo has taken up a position on the right, prompting another wisecrack from Richard Jolly: “Antoine Semenyo is playing wing-back. Had he joined Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United, he may have found himself there rather more often…”
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 58 minutes
21:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleKylian Mbappe, of course, is back on the Real Madrid bench tonight – we’ll see if Alvaro Arbeloa sees fit to give him some minutes after injury. They have their own big game at the weekend, with cross-city rivals Atletico travelling to the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Changes for Manchester City
21:17 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumSo Erling Haaland goes off. Saving him for the Carabao Cup final, or a different strategy? While Haaland’s finishing has been mixed tonight, he has been relentless.
Omar Marmoush replaces him, while Antoine Semenyo is on for Matheus Nunes.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 56 minutes
21:17 , Harry Latham-CoyleAbdukodir Khusanov really is very quick. The defender races back and covers the ground in an instant to halt what looked a promising Real Madrid counter-attack.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 54 minutes
21:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleThat’s another chance for Manchester City, though, and Erling Haaland, swivelling on to his left foot and drawing a two-handed save from Andriy Lunin. They do need one of these to go in soon, though.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 52 minutes
21:13 , Harry Latham-CoyleReal Madrid just need to take the sting out of Manchester City a bit. They get on the ball for a couple of minutes and do exactly that, happy to play calmly in possession and fatigue the pressing legs of the 10-man home team.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 50 minutes
21:11 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe chances continue to come for Manchester City. Dean Huijsen heads behind after some nice attacking interplay down the right.
A short corner routine is poorly executed.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 49 minutes
21:11 , Harry Latham-CoyleTop stop from the new goalkeeper! Jeremy Doku pulls out to the left and drives at the defence, before finding Erling Haaland with his low cross. Haaland turns goalwards and Andriy Lunin is forced into a sharp save low to his right.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 48 minutes
21:09 , Harry Latham-CoyleThat Manchester City has allowed Jeremy Doku to push up virtually alongside Erling Haaland to try and cause problems from a more central position, with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes trusted to provide the width.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 46 minutes
21:08 , Harry Latham-CoyleAbdukodir Khusanov is immediately pressed into defensive duties on Vinicius Jr, and does them well initially. The ball eventually comes back to the Brazilian, who skies his shot – not for the first time tonight.
Changes!
21:06 , Harry Latham-CoyleIndeed, Lunin is coming on – and there are Manchester City changes, too.
Marc Guehi and Nathan Ake have been introduced. Ruben Dias and Tijjani Reinders go off.
Richard Jolly at the Etihad Stadium says: “City have gone to a back three with Guehi and Ake on while Khusanov has shifted a bit wider to look after Vinicius.”
Second half…
21:05 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt appears that Real Madrid may be making a half-time change – our man at the Etihad thinks that Andriy Lunin may be replacing Thibaut Courtois…
Could this Manchester City effort prove costly
20:58 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumAn action-packed first half. Manchester City have put in a huge effort, which may cost them in the second half or the Carabao Cup final, or both. But despite Erling Haaland’s goal, Real are in a commanding position and really should score again in the second half.
HT: Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid (1-4 agg.)
20:52 , Harry Latham-CoyleA goal apiece, then, at the Etihad Stadium in a game of plenty of chances. Vinicius Jr’s penalty looked to have put the tie beyond doubt after Bernardo Silva had handled on the line, but Erling Haaland’s leveller on the night has given 10-man Manchester City a glimmer of hope.
They’ve caused Real Madrid plenty of problems going forward – but can they find the three goals they need without conceding more?
HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid
20:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 45 + 3 minutes
20:50 , Harry Latham-CoyleAnd now the referee brandishes a card to Abdukodir Khusanov for shoving a shoulder into the face of Vinicius Jr. The Manchester City defender was looking to use his body to block the Brazilian, but a late movement made the contact uncomfortable. Vinicius is back on his feet with no real harm done.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 45 + 2 minutes
20:48 , Harry Latham-CoyleClement Turpin has a stern word with Rodri and Ruben Dias after the pair are involved in a clash with Arda Guler over on the Real Madrid right.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 45 minutes
20:46 , Harry Latham-CoyleThree additional minutes at the end of the half.
Erling Haaland finally strikes
20:45 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumManchester City have deserved that goal. Certainly Jeremy Doku has deserved to be part of it. He has been relentless, running at Real. It was scarcely a smooth finish by Erling Haaland but he has just his fifth goal in 19 games.
Manchester City 1-1 Real Madrid, 43 minutes
20:44 , Harry Latham-Coyle1-4 on aggregate, then, so still a load for Manchester City to do. Erling Haaland seemed slightly unsure on how to react to that goal, eventually deciding to follow the ball into the back of the net for a speedy retrieval and restart.
GOAL! MANCHESTER CITY 1-1 Real Madrid (Erling Haaland, 42 minutes)
20:42 , Harry Latham-CoyleAnd that’s the goal they needed! It’s not the finest finish that Erling Haaland will ever produce but they all count, the striker jabbing in from close range slightly awkwardly after a deflected cross.
It was excellent work from Jeremy Doku in the build-up, the Belgian writhing to the by-line and then getting a ball in. Hope for the hosts?
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 41 minutes
20:41 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt’s the travelling band of Real Madrid fans making most of the noise at the moment. Manchester City won’t give up hope, though.
Pep Guardiola slumps in his seat
20:40 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumSince being booked a little earlier, Pep Guardiola has spent much of his time slumped back on his seat, either feeling the tie is over or regretting his choice of shirt. Possibly both.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 37 minutes
20:38 , Harry Latham-CoyleThat’s a better save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Sweet feet from Brahim Diaz break the ankles of near namesake Ruben Dias, leaving the defender on his backside with his head on a swivel. Donnarumma is surer of footing and of hand, blocking the resultant effort away.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 35 minutes
20:36 , Harry Latham-CoyleA drive from Aurelien Tchouameni takes a little flick on the way through to Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian deals well with the deflection.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 33 minutes
20:34 , Harry Latham-CoyleThis really has been a corking contest. You sense, though, that Manchester City’s intensity will surely lag at some stage – both with the loss of their captain and a key midfielder, and as the scale of their situation becomes clearer as time ticks by. Spurning those early chances feels so key.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 31 minutes
20:32 , Harry Latham-CoyleTrent Alexander-Arnold has done a solid enough job on Jeremy Doku so far. He looks to show off his passing range with a long diagonal in the direction of Vinicius Jr, though can’t quite thread the needle.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 27 minutes
20:28 , Harry Latham-CoyleThis game is remarkably open. Erling Haaland and Rodri pass up fine chances for Manchester City before Vinicius Jr, who should have a hat-trick, misses another sitter. Incredible.
A sad farewell?
20:27 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumHorrible for Bernardo Silva, a player who has starred against Real before, scored twice in the 4-0 semi-final win in 2023, the eventual winner in the 4-3 in 2022. Now his night is over, and perhaps his part in this epic rivalry.
Manchester City 0-1 Real Madrid, 23 minutes
20:24 , Harry Latham-CoyleHow is it not two? Vinicius Jr should have doubled his tally on the night but inexplicably blazes over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 REAL MADRID (Vinicius Jr penalty, 22 minutes)
20:23 , Harry Latham-CoyleAnd in the penalty goes! That, you would think, is that for Manchester City’s chances, down to 10 men and now down four on the scoresheet.
PENALTY! Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 20 minutes
20:21 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt is! Once Vinicius Jr was deemed onside, there was never really any doubt. Bernardo Silva’s save was one that Gianluigi Donnarumma might have been proud of – alas, it’s entirely illegal.
Off he goes having received the first red card of his senior career. Up steps Vinicius…
VAR CHECK! Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 19 minutes
20:20 , Harry Latham-CoyleHang on – referee Clement Turpin is going over to the monitor. This could well be a penalty and a red card.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 15 minutes
20:19 , Harry Latham-CoyleOff the post! Off the line! Off…side!
All that drama for nought. Vinicius Jr breaks beyond the Manchester City defence and then fires on goal, curling beautifully past Gianluigi Donnarumma and against the inside of the post. The ball rebounds off the goalkeeper’s back and Real Madrid are fastest to it, affording the Brazilian a second chance.
Bernardo Silva scrambles back and blocks on the line with what appears to be his elbow – but the flag is up. VAR will have a look to make certain that Vinicius was offside, otherwise Silva could be in some bother…
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 15 minutes
20:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleManchester City are getting particular joy down the right hand side, looking to overload Fran Garcia with Matheus Nunes overlapping and Rayan Cherki cutting in on his left foot. Bernardo Silva is shading that way, too, as he tends to.
Manchester City make fast start
20:13 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumManchester City’s plight has forced them to make a flying start. If they were only 2-0 down, they might not have begun at such a pace. Not for the first time, Real could be grateful they have Thibaut Courtois.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 11 minutes
20:12 , Harry Latham-CoyleManchester City appeal for a handball from the corner but are waved away.
Rodri and Rayan Ait-Nouri get themselves in a muddle and allow Brahim Diaz to counter-attack, but strong defending from Matheus Nunes on Vinicius Jr thereafter prevents a chance arising.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 10 minutes
20:11 , Harry Latham-CoyleAnother sighting of goal. Rayan Cherki neatly shifts his feet away from a couple of Real Madrid defenders and has a sliced right-footed effort deflected behind.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 8 minutes
20:09 , Harry Latham-CoyleReal Madrid look a little rattled. A couple of uncharacteristic errors in possession grant Manchester City a chance to come forward. Rayan Cherki hits the deck in the Real Madrid penalty area but there is nowt doing.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 6 minutes
20:06 , Harry Latham-CoyleHow open are Real Madrid? That is an unbelievable block from Dean Huijsen, doing the work his teammates had not in a sweeping build-up that set up a half-volleyed chance for Tijjani Reijnders. We could have had four goals already.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 4 minutes
20:05 , Harry Latham-CoyleThis is a pulsating start. Rodri is the latest to have a glimpse at goal, forcing Thibaut Courtois to thrust an arm up to keep out his shot at the near post after breaking from midfield. The corner comes to nothing.
A golden chance spurned
20:04 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumValverde could have killed off City in the first minute. Bernardo Silva had said if they conceded, the tie was over and it might have been…
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 2 minutes
20:03 , Harry Latham-CoyleLively. Very lively! Rayan Cherki rattles the legs of Thibaut Courtois with a drive from 18 yards.
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid, 1 minute
20:02 , Harry Latham-CoyleWhat a chance for the hat-trick hero of the first leg! A brilliant ball from Vinicius Jr is half cut-out by a Manchester City leg, but that only slows it down for Fede Valverde. Gianluigi Donnarumma looks to have got himself in no-man’s land but Valverde can’t bend it by him, the goalkeeper saving at his knees. A glorious opportunity passed up inside 60 seconds!
KICK OFF!
20:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleUp and running at the Etihad.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
19:58 , Harry Latham-CoyleOut the players come into a relatively pleasant Manchester night. The hosts have to start fast.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
19:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleThose in attendance are being treated to a light show as Manchester City try to lift the atmosphere. “A Blue Moon light show. Not sure it will scare Real Madrid,” quips our man on the ground, Richard Jolly.
A good omen?
19:52 , Harry Latham-CoyleGood news, perhaps, for Manchester City with Sporting Lisbon showing that overturning a 3-0 deficit can be done – the Portuguese club lead Bodo/Glimt 4-0 on the night after striking early in extra time as they seek a quarter-final place.
Real Madrid edge ahead
19:45 , Harry Latham-CoyleInterestingly, Real Madrid’s win last week was their sixth over Manchester City in this competition – breaking a tie with the reverse result and a draw after the 15 previous meetings were split exactly evenly. Of course, it’s the Spanish club that have come through this fixture in each of the last two years in knockout Champions League football.
Bernado Silva full of belief as Manchester City seek improbable comeback
19:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle”This sport has taught us that a lot of things can happen in a football game even though the result in Madrid was really bad, but we will fight until the end knowing it’s going to be tough,” Bernardo Silva said ahead of the second leg.
“The opponent is a good one, the result was not good but at home a lot of things can happen especially here at the Etihad. We’re going to try to create that.
“We know what this team is capable of but this season we lack consistency. We know we can reach that level but we weren’t able to maintain the level for the right amount of games. If we’re on it tomorrow, we know that it’s possible.”
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa explains what they need to do tonight
19:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle”We know and are very aware of the difficulty of the match and the opponent we have in front of us,” Arbeloa said. “Of the players, the coach, and the stadium where we are. We cannot have anything else in mind if we want to win the match, which is the goal. We have to perform at a very high level, at our best level, as in the first leg, even more so. That is the goal: to go out and aim for that performance, that level of commitment, solidarity, effort, sacrifice, and then cause them a lot of trouble, as we were able to do in the first leg.”
Why Jude Bellingham is not involved tonight
19:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleJude Bellingham travelled with the Real Madrid squad to Manchester but is not yet able to be involved this evening after injury.
“Bellingham wanted to come with his team-mates,” Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa said.
“I’m very happy to see him getting closer to the team. It is important to be around his team-mates, during the team-talk and at half-time he’ll be one of the leaders as he always is.”
Marc Guehi dropped by Manchester City
19:09 , Richard Jolly at the Etihad StadiumPep Guardiola sprang some surprises last week and has provided some more today. Marc Guehi is dropped for the rematch with Real Madrid, which at least stops Fede Valverde juggling the ball over him to score. Antoine Semenyo is out, too. Tijjani Reijnders starts, which he probably should have done in the Bernabeu. It’s interesting, too, that Matheus Nunes is back and will be up against Vinicius Junior.
Hope for Manchester City?
19:00 , Harry Latham-CoyleOnly three times previously has a 3-0 first-leg deficit been overcome in the Champions League, with Manchester City looking to follow Deportivo la Coruna (against AC Milan), Roma and Liverpool (both against Barcelona) in completing a comeback.
Team news – Manchester City
18:48 , Harry Latham-CoylePep Guardiola freshens up his full-backs with Matheus Nunes and Rayan Ait-Nouri into the starting side.
Manchester City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Ait-Nouri; Rodri; Cherki, Silva, Reijnders, Doku; Haaland.
Team news – Real Madrid
18:41 , Harry Latham-CoyleKylian Mbappe is back on the bench for Real Madrid, with Fran Garcia in for the absent Ferland Mendy at left-back.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Garcia; Valverde, Thiago, Tchouameni; Guler, Diaz, Vinicius Jr.
Pep Guardiola hits back after being ‘massacred’ for Champions League selection
18:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleWe should get team news in the next little while, with plenty of eyes on what Pep Guardiola does after copping some flak for his selection in the Spanish capital.
Pep Guardiola hits back after being ‘massacred’ for Champions League selection
Antonio Rudiger relishing latest Erling Haaland tussle
18:25 , Harry Latham-CoyleErling Haaland could be key to Manchester City’s hopes of turning the tie around, and Real defender Antonio Rudiger is relishing another contest with the Norway forward, with the pair having become familiar foes in recent years.
“Players like Haaland – it’s a huge pleasure to play against this type of player,” Rudiger said on the eve of the match in Manchester.
“I like the physical battle, I want it and need it, the same as him. I’m looking forward to it.
“He’s a world-class striker, very strong, and I like these type of duels.”
Rudiger acknowledged his combative approach as he addressed recent claims from Getafe defender Diego Rico about his conduct.
Rico said Rudiger committed an “assault” against him in a challenge earlier this month.
“In slow motion it looks terrible but in the action itself and also what the player said, it was like I almost killed him,” Rudiger said.
“He doesn’t need to exaggerate because if I’d had the intention to do that he wouldn’t have stood up.
“I don’t justify it but the way he spoke after the game was like I killed him, but he was running afterwards. We all know I like to be tough on the pitch but I still have boundaries. I am a human being.”
Rodri remains defiant on Man City’s dwindling title chances: ‘We’re still alive’
18:15 , Harry Latham-CoyleRodri insisted that more dropped points were not the end of Manchester City’s title chances.
Pep Guardiola names player he should have dropped after costly draw at West Ham
18:05 , Harry Latham-CoyleIt’s not just in Europe where Manchester City’s trophy hopes took a big blow last week – Lawrence Ostlere was at the London Stadium to watch them slip to a draw with struggling West Ham, with Pep Guardiola offering an intriguing comment afterwards.
Why Manchester City could face Uefa punishment for cancelling training session ahead of Champions League tie
17:55 , Harry Latham-CoyleManchester City, meanwhile, risked the wrath of (or at least a slap on the wrist from) Uefa after cancelling a training session on match eve.
Kylian Mbappe ready for Real Madrid return but Jude Bellingham out of Manchester City second leg
17:45 , Harry Latham-CoyleReal Madrid will get one of their protagonists back in the form of Kylian Mbappe tonight – but Jude Bellingham remains absent:
Federico Valverde caps superb night for Real Madrid’s understudies as Pep Guardiola gets it wrong
17:35 , Harry Latham-CoyleHere, meanwhile, is a look back at the first leg, with Richard Jolly in attendance at the Bernabeu to see the Real Madrid understudies take on leading roles..
Real Madrid beware, Man City have the blueprint in pursuit of ‘the perfect game’
17:25 , Harry Latham-CoyleThe prospects of progress for Manchester City seem slim, but Richard Jolly heard yesterday how they have a plan to rock Real Madrid:
Pep Guardiola: Manchester City must produce ‘perfect game’ to turn around Real Madrid tie
17:15 , Richard JollyPep Guardiola said Manchester City need to produce “the perfect game” to overturn a 3-0 deficit and knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
Only three teams have ever won a Champions League knockout tie after losing the first leg 3-0 – Deportivo la Coruna against AC Milan, and both Roma and Liverpool against Barcelona – and Guardiola admitted his side face a “massive task”
Guardiola is confident his team have the ability to score enough goals, citing knockout matches in the past when they have scored four or more in the Champions League – including two against Real Madrid – but feels they probably cannot afford to concede.
English clubs face a Champions League wipeout – but one thing can save them
17:05 , Miguel DelaneyThe players have already taken in one message from Pep Guardiola, as they attempt what amounts to one of the greatest challenges in Champions League history. Bernardo Silva articulated some of it when he spoke on Monday before their last-16 second leg against Real Madrid.
“With one goal, the atmosphere of the ground will change,” said the Portuguese midfielder.
There is more to that comment than just an appeal to the crowd. The mythos of the Champions League remontada has now become so pronounced – to the point the Spanish name for grand comebacks has become commonplace – .
Manchester City vs Real Madrid live
Monday 16 March 2026 14:11 , Harry Latham-CoyleOnly three times previously has a team come back from 3-0 down after the first leg of a Champions League tie to progress – can Manchester City be the fourth? It is a tall task facing Pep Guardiola’s side against Real Madrid after Fede Valverede’s hat-trick at the Bernabeu last week, but this competition has provided plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the past, and the hosts will hope for another.
Kick off is at 8pm GMT.
