Man City vs Real Madrid: Preview, prediction and lineups

A Champions League semi-final spot is at stake when Manchester City and Real Madrid collide in the second leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday night.

This tie had blockbuster material written all over it when the draw was made given their recent duels at this late stage of the competition, and the pair certainly didn’t disappoint in the Spanish capital last week. A first leg full of utterly ludicrous finishes ended 3-3, with City undoubtedly departing the happier of the two sides ahead of the return in Manchester.

They’ll now get to enjoy the comforts of the Etihad Stadium in midweek as they aim to complete an unprecedented double-treble. Pep Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in 2024 and they returned to the top of the Premier League table at the weekend following Liverpool and Arsenal defeats.

Real Madrid lead the way in La Liga, maintaining their eight-point buffer over Barcelona ahead of El Clasico by beating Mallorca at the weekend. Despite their domestic success, some will deem the campaign a disappointment should they exit the Champions League at this premature stage.

Here’s 90min’s preview of Wednesday’s quarter-final second leg.

Man City vs Real Madrid H2H record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

Guardiola only recently had a mini defensive injury crisis on his hands, but the situation has improved considerably ahead of the second leg.

Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake were both in the matchday squad at the weekend, with the former expected to come back into the team on Wednesday. Ederson was also back in action against Luton having missed the previous month with a muscle injury.

Rodri, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden were all rested ahead of Madrid’s visit.

Man City predicted lineup vs Madrid (3-4-2-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol; Stones, Rodri; Bernardo, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.

Aurelien Tchouameni, who scored the game’s only goal in Madrid’s win over Mallorca, is suspended for Wednesday’s game.

Nacho is expected to partner Antonio Rudiger at centre-back with Eder Militao not believed to be ready for a start in a game of this magnitude after only recently returning from injury.

Madrid are still without long-term injury absentees Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba.

Madrid predicted lineup vs Man City (4-3-1-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Camavinga, Kroos, Valverde; Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo.

As was the case in last season’s semi-final, there’s a prevailing feeling that Real Madrid needed to win their home first leg to advance beyond Guardiola’s juggernaut.

While Carlo Ancelotti’s side are firmly in the tie, the fact the second leg arrives at the Etihad reduces their chances of pulling off the upset.

City overcame a major hurdle by battering Madrid in Manchester on their way to the treble, and they’ll be fully confident of toppling the record winners on Wednesday. Kyle Walker’s return is huge, with Guardiola managing his squad superbly during the run-in thus far.

They’re well-placed to triumph and progress into the last four.

Prediction: Man City 3-1 Real Madrid

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90 Mins