Real Madrid vs Manchester City Predictions & Match Preview

Real Madrid vs Manchester City predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as these sides meet again after a 7-goal thriller in Manchester last week.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Preview

The Santiago Bernabeu is once again host to a huge Champions League knockout match as newly crowned LaLiga champions Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Spanish capital for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. 

The first leg promised much and delivered as the two sides produced one of the games of the season at the Etihad. City were the better side for the majority of the game but Real Madrid’s experience coupled with the brilliance of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr kept Los Blancos in the match which ended 4-3 to the Citizens. From Gabriel Jesus’ smart turn on the second goal to the “Panenka” penalty by Benzema, every goal seemed to come with a touch of brilliance. 

Carlo Ancelotti was able to rest many top players at the weekend as a 4-0 win over a lacklustre Espanyol allowed the capital side to wrap up their 35th La Liga title. Stars such as Karim Benzema, Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos came off of the bench late on whilst Rodrygo Goes showed why he should be considered to start against City with two excellent goals in the first half. 

After the match, the players were presented with the trophy and headed to Cibeles to celebrate, something which should boost the player’s confidence and squad morale ahead of this huge Champions League tie. This is Real Madrid’s eighth semi-final appearance in the last decade, with their last outing being against Chelsea in last season’s edition of the competition where Los Blancos lost 3-1 on aggregate. 

Manchester City come into this match also after a 4-0 win at the weekend, dismantling relegation threatened Leeds at Elland Road to leapfrog Liverpool in the Premier League table. Pep Guardiola was only able to rest a few of his players in this match, which was expected with the title race being so close between City and the Reds. Phil Foden starred once again and Gabriel Jesus kept up his run of form with a goal on the counter attack. 

This is only City’s second semi-final appearance since 2015, however they saw off Paris Saint-Germain at this stage of last season’s campaign and made the final where they lost to fellow Premier League outfit Chelsea.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 1 Real Madrid Win, 3 Manchester City Wins, 2 Draws.
• Manchester City have won all of the last three meetings between the two sides.
• The sides met in the Round of 16 of the 2019-20 season when Manchester City won both legs 2-1.
• Real Madrid defeated Manchester City in the 2015-16 semi-finals before winning their eleventh European Cup in Milan.

Team News

Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Luka Jovic may be missing again whilst David Alaba is the most notable expected absentee for Los Blancos with a hamstring problem. Casemiro should return to the Real Madrid eleven after missing the first leg and stars such as Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr will return to the starting eleven after being rested against Espanyol. 

Kyle Walker could be fit enough to start for City whilst Joao Cancelo will return after missing the first leg through suspension. John Stones is expected to be City’s only notable absentee.

Possible Lineups

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Predictions

Score Prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City (Aggregate: 5-6)

This match is on a knife’s edge and could really go either way. Real Madrid have all the experience meanwhile City are regarded by many as the best team in the world, so the only guarantee in this game is goals. Overall, we edge City’s first leg advantage to just be enough to see off a valiant Real Madrid side full of confidence.

UEFA Champions League Match Previews

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