Grealish starts, Ake returns as City make eight changes | OneFootball

Jack Grealish is one of three players who started against Leyton Orient at the weekend to retain his place against Real Madrid.

Ruben Dias and Savinho also keep their starting berths as Pep Guardiola - as expected - makes wholesale changes from the weekend.

Returning to the starting XI are Nathan Ake, Ederson, Manu Akanji, John Stones, Bernardo, Josko Gvardiol. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.

A strong-looking bench includes new signings Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico, along with Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic.

LINE-UPS

CITY XI: Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Stones, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Savinho, Grealish, Haaland

Subs: Ortega Moreno, Marmoush, Kovacic, Doku, Nico, Gundogan, Nunes, Khusanov, Foden, O'Reilly, Lewis, McAtee

Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy, Camavinga, Ceballos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vini Jr, Mbappe

Subs: Lunin, Modric, Arda Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Fran Garcia, Brahim, Gonzalo, Jacobo Ramon, Chema, Lorenzo Aguado

WATCH: City v Real Madrid: Europe's modern classic returns

Formation and Tactics

With no recognised holding midfielder in the starting XI, will John Stones fill that void this evening?

Stones has played in that role on several occasions and Manu Akanji is also capable of playing there.

But it feels as though our back four will be Akanji at right-back, Gvardiol at left-back with Ake and Dias our central defenders.

Stones would be joined by Bernardo and skipper Kevin De Bruyne, with Savinho and Grealish flanking Haaland up front.

If any of the above combinations isn't working, there are plenty of options for Guardiola should he need them.

BLUES TARGET FIRST LEG ADVANTAGE

City know going to the Santiago Bernabeu next week with some kind of advantage is crucial.

Anything other than - at minimum on level terms - will be a big ask for any team, though certainly not an impossibility.

A goal lead - or more - will give the Blues something to defend in the Spanish capital, where a white atmosphere awaits.

City's record against the La Liga champions is impressive - just three losses in 12 meetings in total - and is Madrid's worst in terms of European competition win percentage (25%).

That stat is proof, if needed, that the Blues can go into this game definitely believing we can progress to the Round of 16.

Stats, facts & milestones

City versus Real Madrid will be just the fourth fixture in European Cup/UEFA Champions League history to played in four consecutive seasons, after Deportivo de La Coruña v Juventus (4 from 2000-01 to 2003-04), Chelsea v Liverpool (5 from 2004-05 to 2008-09), and Atlético de Madrid v Real Madrid (4 from 2013-14 to 2016-17).

This will be the 13th City have faced Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League (W4 D5 L3). Of opponents Real Madrid have played against 5+ times in their European Cup/Champions League history, their win percentage of 25% against the Citizens is their lowest against any opponent.

Despite only losing three of their 12 games against them in the competition,  City have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League knockout stages by Real Madrid more often than by any other opponent (3 times).

Real Madrid have knocked an English club out of the UEFA Champions League knockout stages 13 times; only Los Blancos themselves have eliminated opponents from a specific nation more often in the competition (16 v German clubs).

Real Madrid have knocked out an English Premier League club from the knockout stages of each of the last four UEFA Champions League seasons: 2020-21 (Liverpool), 2021-22 (Chelsea, Man City, & Liverpool), 2022-23 (Liverpool & Chelsea), 2023-24 (Man City).

There have been only three instances of a team completing 90% of their passes under high-intensity pressure in a UEFA Champions League match this season; two of which have been by Man City, including one in their victory over Club Brugge (90.6% - also 90.8% v Sporting CP).

Only Bayern Munich (108) have made more passes breaking the opposition’s defensive line than Real Madrid (87) in the UEFA Champions League this season. The players who’ve done so the most times for Los Blancos are Luka Modric and Rodrygo (11 each), while the players who’ve received the most are Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior (14 each).

City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in eight goals in eight UEFA Champions League appearances against Real Madrid (four goals, four assists); the joint-most by any player in the competition’s history (also eight by Giovane Élber). He’s also the only player to score and assist in a Champions League game against Real Madrid on multiple occasions (February 2020 and April 2022).

Erling Haaland hasn’t scored in any of his four appearances against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League (359 minutes played), attempting 13 shots without success. Indeed, they are the opponent he’s played against most often as a Manchester City player without finding the net.

Only Lionel Messi (9) and Karim Benzema (7) have been directly involved in more UEFA Champions League goals against Manchester City than Real Madrid duo Vinícius Júnior (two goals, three assists) and Rodrygo (four goals, one assist), with five each.