Ups: Manchester City vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg)

Manchester City face a Herculean task against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie, needing to overturn a three-goal deficit to keep their European campaign alive.
It was a night to forget at the Santiago Bernabeu six days ago as Federico Valverde‘s stunning first-half hat-trick – the first of his professional career – proved the catalyst for a dominant 3-0 victory that left Pep Guardiola’s side shell-shocked and with plenty to do in the return leg.

The visitors actually started brightly in the first leg, with Antoine Semenyo firing an early shot at Thibaut Courtois and the lively Jeremy Doku twice driving across the face of goal, but City were cut apart on the counter on each occasion that Madrid broke with pace.

Guardiola faced significant criticism for his tactical approach in Madrid, particularly for his surprising team selection in the first leg – and the City manager will be expected to field a far more recognisable and aggressive XI tonight in search of the kind of historic comeback the Etihad Stadium has witnessed many a time before, albeit not in Europe.

Rodri: Real Madrid will suffer against Manchester City if they want to progress

Erling Haaland has endured an unusually quiet spell in front of goal, managing only four goals in his last 17 appearances, and City’s entire comeback hopes rest on him converting the chances that Guardiola’s system will create on what could be a landmark European night.

On the injury front, City have few concerns heading into the second leg, with only Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis unavailable – the former with a tibial fracture, the latter with an ankle problem.

In a boost for Guardiola, Mateo Kovacic appeared on the substitutes’ bench for Saturday’s West Ham fixture after months on the sidelines and is available for selection tonight.

For Real Madrid, Ferland Mendy picked up a muscle injury in the first leg and was forced off at half-time.

Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Dani Ceballos and Alvaro Carreras remain sidelined.

Arda Guler capped an excellent week with a stunning long-range strike as Real Madrid beat Elche 4-1 at the weekend and will be full of confidence heading into tonight.

Ahead of Tuesday’s 20:00 UK kick-off between Manchester City and Real Madrid, here are the confirmed line-ups from the Etihad Stadium:

Manchester City vs Real Madrid (UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch

Manchester City

Real Madrid

Substitutes: Lunin, Carvajal, Alaba, Camavinga, Mbappe, Gonzalo, Carreras, Mastantuono, Diego Aguado, Cestero, Manuel Angel, Palacios