Real Madrid and Manchester City will once again collide on the grand stage of the Champions League when they meet at the Bernabeu on Wednesday for the opening leg of their round-of-16 clash.
Their latest showdown also makes history, as it will be the first time two teams have faced each other in the knockout phase of the tournament across five straight campaigns.
Earlier in the campaign, Manchester City edged past Real Madrid with a 2-1 win on Spanish soil in the league phase, a result that came around three months ago.
In their pursuit of a 16th European crown, Real Madrid were pushed into the Champions League knockout play-off round after placing ninth in the league phase standings. They trailed Manchester City by a single point and spot, having suffered three losses in their final five games.
The defeat to Benfica by a 4–2 scoreline on matchday eight meant Real Madrid had to take the play-off route. The Spanish giants, managed by Alvaro Arbeloa, eventually made amends by beating the Portuguese outfit 3–1 on aggregate, extending their remarkable run of last-16 appearances to 23 straight seasons.
Manchester City endured a difficult Champions League campaign last season, finishing 22nd in the league phase before being eliminated by Real Madrid with a 6–3 aggregate defeat in the play-offs.
However, this time around, Pep Guardiola's side collected 16 points from their eight league matches to progress directly to the last 16.
Match Start Time
The Real Madrid vs Manchester City match is scheduled to start at 1:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time on Thursday.
Probable Lineups
- Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raul Asencio, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy; Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Eduardo Camavinga; Gonzalo García, Vinicius Junior
- Manchester City: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly; Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, Jeremy Doku; Erling Haaland
How To Watch Live Telecast?
The Real Madrid vs Manchester City match will be broadcasted live on the Sony Sports Network television channels.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
Fans in India can watch the live stream of the Real Madrid vs Manchester City match on SonyLIV app and website.
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