Real Madrid vs Manchester City (UEFA Champions League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch | OneFootball

After an emphatic 3-0 win against Sunderland to cut the gap at the top of the league to just two points, Manchester City travel to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid.

Last time out, City cruised past the Black Cats in one of the season’s most significant fixtures, especially after Arsenal had dropped points earlier in the day at the hands of Aston Villa in a 2-1 away defeat for the Gunners.

A stunning strike from Ruben Dias, along with goals from Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden, sealed an important three points at the Etihad Stadium and moved the Blues to within just two of Mikel Arteta’s league leaders.

With Pep Guardiola’s side firmly in control by the second half, there was a rare chance to rest key players as Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol all made way before the 70-minute mark, conserving energy ahead of a crucial European night.

With no fresh injury concerns and a well-rested squad off the back of Saturday afternoon’s clash, Manchester City now have an excellent opportunity to capitalise on a relatively out-of-form Real Madrid side on Wednesday night.

City’s last game in the Champions League was a 0-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen – a night largely remembered for the 10 changes Pep Guardiola made after the defeat to Newcastle United.

This time, however, Manchester City arrive with momentum firmly behind them. Three consecutive wins has restored confidence and rhythm, and maintaining form will be vital not only for their European ambitions, but for the trajectory of the season as a whole.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, enter the tie in far less convincing form. With Xabi Alonso’s job reportedly hanging in the balance, the Spanish champions have managed just two wins since a 1-0 defeat to Arne Slot’s underperforming Liverpool, and their most recent outing saw them fall 0-2 at home to 10-place Celta Vigo – finishing the match with nine men.

Even so, Real Madrid remain a club built for the biggest nights, and this fixture represents exactly that: a heavyweight clash between two of Europe’s elite.

With the Bernabeu preparing for another monumental European occasion, the stage is set for a contest defined by fine margins. City will look to impose their control and tempo early, while Madrid’s unpredictability and big-game pedigree ensure that no advantage is ever guaranteed.

Both sides understand the stakes, and with a place in the next round on the line with just two games to follow in the league phase, this encounter has all the ingredients to become another unforgettable chapter in the two clubs’ growing European rivalry.

With both sides in need of every point they can get in order to qualify for the knockout phase, here is everything you need to know as Manchester City take on Real Madrid at the Bernabeu!

Match Details

Real Madrid vs Manchester City will commence at 20:00 (UK) on Wednesday 10 December at the Bernabeu.

Match Officials

Experienced French official Clement Turpin will officiate this match, with the last time he oversaw a Manchester City match being a 5-2 victory against Juventus at this year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

You can check out the full list of match officials for the clash in Spain below!

Team News

Rodri will once again miss out, with Manchester City unwilling to take any risks on the holding midfielder. However, there is a feeling that the 29-year-old will be ready to return to action soon.

Former Real Madrid man Mateo Kovacic also misses out as he continues his prolonged spell on the sidelines, with the Croatian not expected back until the early months of 2026. John Stones and Kalvin Phillips look set to play no part, either.

As for Real Madrid, star defender Eder Militao was withdrawn during their defeat to Celta Vigo on Sunday evening with a hamstring injury, and as a result will miss the clash against Manchester City this week.

In fact, the whole Real Madrid rearguard is in the midst of an injury crisis with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy all set to miss Wednesday’s match through injury.

Dean Huijsen may also be unavailable for Los Blancos too, although this could change pending the results of pre-match fitness tests despite the former Bournemouth man missing training on Tuesday morning.

On the subject of open training, both Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga were also absent, throwing their availability into doubt for the fixture against Manchester City and with the latter reported by French media to be ruled out of the contest.

Pep Guardiola’s Press Conference Quotes

Pep Guardiola and a Manchester City first-team player are due to speak to the media from the Bernabeu on Tuesday evening.

Refresh for updates.

Head To Head

Manchester City have been winners of this meeting on four occasions, most memorably a 4-0 demolition that sent the Blues into the Champions League final in Istanbul back in 2023. However, they have failed to pick up a win against the Spanish side since.

Real Madrid have beaten Manchester City on five occasions in the Champions League, having knocked Pep Guardiola’s men out in a last-16 play-off meeting last season, and the quarter-final stage the season before.

Goals are near enough a guarantee when the two sides meet, with both teams having scored 24 against each other over their Champions League meetings – a total of 48 goals in just 14 games.

Manchester City had never managed to beat Real Madrid before Pep Guardiola’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016, with both Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini having identical records of one loss and one draw each in the 2012/13 and 2015/16 seasons.

Statistics

Over his time at Manchester City, Erling Haaland averages exactly one goal a game against Spanish sides in the UEFA Champions League with nine goals in as many matches.

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe averages a goal a game against Manchester City, with seven goals in seven appearances against the Blues.

Only Lamine Yamal (46) has completed more dribbles in the UEFA Champions League this season than Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku (39). Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. sits in third for dribbles completed with 33.

Matches between the two sides have an incredibly high average of 3.42 goals a game. Only once has this fixture ended without a goal: leg one of the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League semi-final.

Only three teams have beaten Pep Guardiola more than Real Madrid (8) – Manchester United (9), Tottenham (10), and Liverpool (10). No non-English side has more wins against the Manchester City head coach.

This will be the 15th time that Real Madrid and Manchester City have faced each other in the UEFA Champions League. Since their first meeting in the 2012/13 season, it is already the most-played fixture in the competition in this period (14 games).

Pep Guardiola has faced Real Madrid on 27 previous occasions, winning 48 per cent of those matches (W13 D7 L7). However, Guardiola is winless in the most recent four against the Spanish side (D2 L2), and has never gone five in succession without beating them.

How To Watch

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match on TNT Sports, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime. Radio coverage will be available on BBC Radio Manchester.

Viewers in the United States will be able to watch live on DAZN.

A full list of global TV listings can be found here!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on X, Facebook and Instagram throughout the matchday, with content also on cityxtra.co.uk!