Real Madrid vs Manchester City preview, prediction, head-to-head, team news, possible line-ups, and betting tips

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City have only a 1% chance of making a comeback against Real Madrid after losing 3-2 at home in the first leg.

City will go into Wednesday’s game full of confidence after a 4-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday, which lifted them into the top four.

Meanwhile, Madrid had a tough weekend, dropping points for the third league game in a row after a 1-1 draw at Osasuna. This result gave Barcelona a chance to move ahead of them at the top of La Liga.

Still, both teams will set aside their weekend results and focus on what could be their biggest game of the season so far.

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Carlo Ancelotti has dominated Champions League knockout battles against Guardiola, eliminating him three times—in 2013-14, 2021-22, and 2023-24.

Before the first leg, Madrid had already faced Premier League opposition this season, suffering a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Matchday 5.

One of Madrid’s rare home losses to English teams came in the 2021-22 quarter-finals, when they fell 3-2 to Chelsea after extra time but still advanced 5-4 on aggregate.

Overall, Madrid have won 14 and lost seven two-legged knockout ties against English opposition. City, meanwhile, have lost just two of their last 15 matches against Spanish teams, winning eight in that run.

However, last season’s loss to Madrid left City with a record of four wins and six defeats in two-legged knockout ties against Spanish clubs.

Antonio Rudiger picked up a thigh injury early in the game against Espanyol and has not played since.

David Alaba was out from December 2023 to January 2025 with a torn ACL in his left knee, and has now been diagnosed with an adductor injury.

Lucas Vazquez has missed the last two matches due to a hamstring problem, while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are both expected to miss the rest of the season with knee injuries.

Erling Haaland went off late on Saturday with a knee issue, while Jack Grealish (groin) and Manuel Akanji (adductor) missed the weekend game after getting injured in the first leg. Akanji had surgery and could be out for up to ten weeks.

Oscar Bobb and Rodri both have long-term injuries, and will likely miss the rest of the season.

Real Madrid Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Courtois (GK); Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Ceballos, Camavinga; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe.

Man City Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Ederson (GK); Khusanov, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Stones, Nico; Savinho, Foden, Marmoush; Haaland.

The hosts have struggled in recent domestic matches, and Manchester City will look to take advantage on the counter-attack.

However, their own vulnerabilities could be a problem, and their desperation to score will likely leave gaps at the back, leaving Madrid spaces to attack.

Both teams to score

Over 2.5 goals

Over 2.5 cards