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City's home run offers glimmer of hope

Manchester City FC need to beat Real Madrid CF to avoid an early UEFA Champions League exit but the second-placed visitors will have other ideas as they close in on qualification.

Match winner Cristiano Ronaldo competes with Vincent Kompany during the teams' September meeting in Spain
Match winner Cristiano Ronaldo competes with Vincent Kompany during the teams' September meeting in Spain ©Getty Images

Manchester City FC have their backs to the wall as they welcome Real Madrid CF. Bottom of Group D with two points, five behind their opponents, the English champions must win to avoid a second successive group stage elimination. A win or draw could take second-placed Madrid through depending on the AFC Ajax-Borussia Dortmund result.

• Only twice before in the UEFA Champions League have teams recovered to qualify from a position like City's: FC Lokomotiv Moskva (one point after four games) in 2002/03 and FC Porto (two points) in 2004/05.

Match background
• After fighting back to draw with Dortmund and Ajax, City are unbeaten in 19 home European matches since a 1-0 loss to FC Midtjylland in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round.

• City's home record against Spanish clubs is W2 D1 L0. They overcame Villarreal CF 2-1 last season thanks to Sergio Agüero's added-time goal.

• Madrid won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur FC on their last visit to England, Cristiano Ronaldo sealing a 5-0 aggregate win in the 2010/11 quarter-finals.

• Madrid are making their fifth visit to Manchester. They have faced Manchester United FC four times, winning once, their most recent trip a 4-3 defeat in the 2002/03 quarter-finals when the Brazilian Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for a 6-4 aggregate success. Overall, Madrid's record in England is W4 D2 L5.

Team ties
• José Mourinho's FC Porto beat Roberto Mancini's S.S. Lazio 4-1 on aggregate in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup semi-finals. Mourinho replaced Mancini as FC Internazionale Milano coach in 2008.

• Mourinho suffered his first defeat as Chelsea FC manager away to City – 1-0 in October 2004 – but ended with a record of W4 D1 L1 against them. He has a good UEFA Champions League record against English clubs, starting with Porto's 3-2 aggregate success against Manchester United in the 2003/04 round of 16. His Inter side lost to United (0-2 agg) in 2008/09 but beat Chelsea (3-1 agg) in 2009/10, both in the last 16. In 2010/11, Mourinho oversaw Madrid's defeat of Tottenham.

• As a UC Sampdoria player, Mancini lost the 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1991/92 European Champion Clubs' Cup finals against FC Barcelona. He helped Lazio defeat RCD Mallorca 2-1 to claim the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. As a coach, Mancini's Inter were eliminated from the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Villarreal.

• City assistant manager Brian Kidd helped Manchester United overcome Madrid in the 1967/68 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.

• Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in 11 derbies for United against City, winning seven and losing three. He scored four goals but was twice sent off at the City of Manchester Stadium.

• Álvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso (both Liverpool FC), Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien (both Chelsea) and Luka Modrić (Tottenham) also faced City in the Premier League. Modrić's Tottenham won 1-0 at City in May 2010 to earn UEFA Champions League qualification at their opponents' expense. Arbeloa's own goal gave City a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in February 2009.

• Javi García made 18 Liga appearances for Madrid before joining SL Benfica in 2009.

• Scott Sinclair (Chelsea) and Maicon (Inter) have both played under Mourinho.

• Agüero's Club Atlético de Madrid failed to win a single derby against Madrid despite scoring three goals, suffering eight defeats in 11 attempts.

• Twice a Spanish champion with Barcelona, Yaya Touré appeared five times against Madrid, winning three times and losing twice.

• David Silva (RC Celta de Vigo, Valencia CF) and Pablo Zabaleta (RCD Espanyol) have also played in Spain.

• Karim Benzema took on Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and James Milner in France's 1-1 group draw with England at UEFA EURO 2012, Samir Nasri equalising for Les Bleus. Alonso hit both goals in Spain's quarter-final defeat of a France side including Benzema, Nasri and Gaël Clichy.

• Mario Balotelli's Italy met Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Alonso, Arbeloa and Silva twice at UEFA EURO 2012, the 1-1 group stage draw and Spain's 4-0 final triumph.

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