Man City vs Real Madrid is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at the Etihad Stadium.
The first leg saw Vinicius Junior’s sensational first-half goal cancelled out by another moment of brilliance from Kevin De Bruyne, although controversy reigned as replays appeared to show the latter’s strike should not have stood as the ball had previously gone out of play.
That’s all in the past now, however, with two of Europe’s premier heavyweights tied up on aggregate and ready to collide for a place on the biggest stage in club football.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid H2H and Numbers
- Real Madrid and Manchester City are on an even footing as far as the head-to-head record is concerned and have won four games apiece out of the 11 matches that have been played between the two teams.
- Under Pep Guardiola, Manchester City have lost only one of their last five matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and have won three of these games.
- Real Madrid are winless in their last four matches away from home against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League and have lost each of their last two such games.
- Real Madrid have won their last two away games in knock-out matches against English opponents in the UEFA Champions League, securing victories against Chelsea and Liverpool this season.
- Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 25 home games in the UEFA Champions League, with their previous such defeat coming at the hands of Lyon in 2018.
Team News
The Man City medical team are only looking after one player at the moment in the form of Nathan Ake, who has now sat out the Premier League champions’ last two matches with a hamstring injury sustained against Leeds United earlier this month.
Last week, Guardiola affirmed that Ake was feeling “much better”, but the Dutchman is still uncertain for the second leg at the time of writing. With no other fitness concerns bedevilling them, the hosts ought to revert to a recognisable XI after an expected slew of changes at Goodison Park.
The well-rested De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and John Stones are all primed and ready to be recalled to the starting lineup, as Grealish prepares to resume his feisty one-on-one battle with Real right-back Dani Carvajal following their first-leg fracases.
Similarly, Real Madrid have also the one injury concern to factor in for the second leg, and it also comes on the left-hand side of the backline, as Eduardo Camavinga limped off in the closing stages of their win over Getafe at the weekend.
However, Ancelotti immediately played down fears of a serious injury for Camavinga, who should be good to go at the Etihad, and the same can be said for David Alaba, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo, all of whom were not present in their recent top-flight encounter.
The visitors have also received a triple defensive boost ahead of the second leg, with Eder Militao and Carvajal back from Champions League and La Liga bans respectively, while Ferland Mendy completed 45 minutes of Saturday’s game following a long-standing calf issue.
With Militao back, reports from the Spanish media have claimed that Rodrygo could be sacrificed in a tactical shake-up from Ancelotti, who could deploy Camavinga in a more familiar midfield role.
Man City vs Real Madrid predicted lineup
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji; Stones, Rodri; Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Kroos, Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
