Manchester City travel to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid in the Champions League tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to put one foot in the next round with a win over their European rivals.
This match marks the fifth fixture between these two sides in four years, with Madrid having knocked City out of the competition in the knockout round play-offs last term.
Both sides will be aiming to avoid that extra round of fixtures by finishing in the top eight this time round, and they are well-placed to do so with Madrid in fifth with 12 points and City in ni…
Manchester City travel to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid in the Champions League tonight, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to put one foot in the next round with a win over their European rivals.
This match marks the fifth fixture between these two sides in four years, with Madrid having knocked City out of the competition in the knockout round play-offs last term.
Both sides will be aiming to avoid that extra round of fixtures by finishing in the top eight this time round, and they are well-placed to do so with Madrid in fifth with 12 points and City in ninth with 10.
While the Cityzens have found form of late to rise to second in the Premier League, Madrid have fallen four points behind Barcelona after a damaging 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo last time out, with pressure potentially building on Xabi Alonso if he were to lose tonight.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.
The match is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 10 December at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. Kick-off is set for 8pm GMT.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7.30pm. Subscribers can also stream the action online via discovery+. If you’re not a subscriber, you can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Team news
Kylian Mbappe is an injury doubt after missing training, adding to the fitness crisis facing Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso, who will also be without Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga.
For City, John Stones will face a late fitness test after missing the win over Sunderland, though this match will come too soon for injured midfielder Rodri, who continues to work to get back from a thigh issue. Fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic is also out, though he will be sidelined into the New Year.
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Asensio, Rudiger, Carreras; Ceballos, Tchouameni, Guler; Vini Jr, Bellingham, Rodrygo
Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Foden, Gonzalez; Silva; Cherki, Haaland, Doku.