Real Madrid vs Man City: Match preview, head-to-head, team news, key players | OneFootball

Real Madrid host Manchester City in the Champions League at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

The La Liga giants are aiming for a second consecutive victory in the competition, after beating Olympiacos 4-3 last time out.

Man City, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back from a 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen last time out.

Match preview

Madrid lost 2-0 at Bernabeu to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday, increasing the pressure on manager Xabi Alonso. A defeat to City could prove decisive for his future.

Despite their poor league form, Los Blancos are in a good position to qualify automatically for the Champions League knock-out stages.

Madrid have their work cut out defensively, given City’s attacking prowess, but they can also hurt the visitors, particularly through the pace of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.

City have won their last three games, including a 3-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland on Saturday, and they arrive for this clash with confidence.

Pep Guardiola’s side have one of the best attacks in Europe, and will fancy their chances against Madrid’s leaky defence. However, City must improve defensively to leave Bernabeu with a positive result.

The Premier League side are slight favourites for this encounter, but the result could go either way.

Head-to-head

The two sides have met 14 times in the Champions League. Madrid have recorded four wins, while City have five, and the other five matches have ended in draws.

Team news

Madrid will be without Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal.

Midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Rodri are the fitness concerns for City.

Key players

Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappe: The competition’s top scorer with nine goals. He has also netted seven times in seven matches against City.

Thibaut Courtois: One of Europe’s best goalkeepers, his performance could prove crucial for the hosts.

Man City

Erling Haaland: The Cityzens’ top scorer across all competitions. He has two goals in five matches against Madrid.

Phil Foden: In blistering form, scoring five goals in the last three matches.

Stats from uefa.com, transfermarkt.com & sofascore.com