Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again on Tuesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal with the 14-time winners facing the current titleholders. Pep Guardiola’s side blitzed Carlo Ancelotti’s men 5-1 over two legs last year with the Premier League outfit handing out a thrashing at Etihad Stadium after a tight affair in the Spanish capital.
Real are in better form this time and are currently comfortable atop La Liga by eight points, although they have gone out of the Copa del Rey while City also suffered elimination in the EFL Cup, so both sides have had setbacks. This is a 13-game unbeaten streak for Los Blancos while the last defeat suffered by City came back in December against Aston Villa in the Premier League, so both are n formidable form.
The last side to knock Real out in the quarterfinals was AS Monaco back in 2003-04 when Fernando Morientes came back to haunt his parent club as Les Monegasques advanced on away goals having finished 5-5 on aggregate. Nine days without a game will also have refreshed Ancelotti’s troops as well as the boost of having Eder Militao slowly regaining match fitness after most of the season out injured and 26 unbeaten games at home is a tough task for City to face.
The current UCL champions eased past FC Copenhagen in the round of 16 and are on a run of of three goals scored in their eight Champions League games so far this edition. Their 1-1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu last year was the last time they failed to win at all in this competition and it is now a second longest unbeaten run in UCL history for Guardiola’s men on 21 games. The last team to beat them though? Real 3-1 back in 2022 so get ready for the next chapter in this battle of the Champions League’s two most successful managers in terms of wins.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Apr. 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid, Spain
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Real +188; Draw +250; City +138
Team news
Real: Eder Militao is being eased back in so Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba are the main long-term losses. Dani Ceballos is also on the mend so is also unlikely to start as is the case with Militao. Vinicius Junior is back from suspension, though, so expect to see ex-City man Brahim Diaz drop out of the XI.
Potential Real XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo.
City: Josko Gvardiol took a knock so is doubtful while Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake are expected to miss out as well despite late possible fitness tests. Gvardiol’s status could dictate whether Manuel Akanji is needed at left back having featured there against Crystal Palace while Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden should be recalled to the XI.
Potential City XI: Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden.
Prediction
This promises to be tight and there might be a winner in this first leg as last year’s opener showed us. Expect both teams to score but for this one to perhaps finish level which would set up the second leg perfectly for the neutrals. Pick: Real 1, City 1.
