Manchester City vs Real Madrid Champions League preview: Where to watch, predicted line-ups, form, coaches' thoughts

Man City and Real Madrid settle their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie in Manchester on Tuesday.

Where to watch on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What you need to know

The first leg was all about Federico Valverde. The midfielder's hat-trick condemned Manchester City to their joint-heaviest loss in a Champions League knockout match, equalling their 3-0 first leg defeat at Liverpool in the 2017/18 quarter-finals, and it could have been worse had Gianluigi Donnarumma not saved Vinícius Júnior's second half penalty. Given Real Madrid have won 13 of their last 15 Champions League round of 16 ties, it is a tall order for Pep Guardiola's side to turn the tables here.

Meeting the Mernegues in the Champions League knockout phase for the fifth season, City will doubtless look back on their 2022/23 second leg for inspiration when they won 4-0 to progress against the 15-time champions. Bernardo Silva scored twice that day and he will make up a dazzling cast of attacking talent that is capable of pulling off one of the Champions League's greatest turnarounds here.

Possible line-ups

Man City: Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Guéhi, Aït-Nouri; Rodri, O'Reilly; Semenyo, Bernardo Silva, Cherki; Haaland

Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Rüdiger, Fran García; Valverde, Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Brahim Díaz, Arda Güler, Vinícius Júnior.

Form guide

Man City 

Form: DLWDW (most recent first)
Latest: West Ham 1-1 Man City, 14/03, English Premier League

Real Madrid

Form: WWWLW
Latest: Real Madrid 4-1 Elche, 14/03, Spanish Liga

Views from the camps

Pep Guardiola, Man City coach: "It's a football game and many things can happen. We have to focus and try to first win the game and then after that see what happens. We have to create a good game with our people [at home], hopefully they can give us a boost. We will try."

Bernardo Silva, Man City midfielder: "A lot of things can happen in a football game. Even though the result in Madrid was really bad, we will fight until the end. It's never easy, especially after just a week. Usually after a big defeat, on the day you feel like everything is very dark, then it gets brighter. Even though this week was really bad for us, we know what we are capable of."

Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid coach: "We are very aware of the difficulty of [this] match and the calibre of opponents we are up against. If we want to win, we must focus on delivering a top-level performance, on a par with the first leg if not even better. We need solidarity, effort and sacrifice, and to inflict some serious damage on them."

Antonio Rüdiger, Real Madrid defender: "I've played many matches and won the Champions League with Real Madrid... these are the moments you work for. We've played City many times; they're one of the best teams in Europe and it's a pleasure to meet them. Players like [Erling] Haaland are tough, and it's a pleasure to face the best. I really enjoy the physical battle."

Reporter's view

Steve Bates, match reporter
For some teams, a 3-0 first-leg deficit would, most likely, signal game over. But this is Manchester City, a Pep Guardiola team who never know when they are beaten. From the manager to captain Rodri, right through to every player on the bench on Tuesday night, the message is simple: No surrender. That said, they are playing Real Madrid, dubbed "the Eternal Champions" by one Spanish newspaper after the first-leg result. That was the 29th time Real Madrid have won their first leg of a knockout tie by three or more goals and they've gone on to qualify on all 28 of those previous occasions. Buckle up for what could be an awesome Champions League night in Manchester.