Real Madrid vs Manchester City predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable line-ups
Title holders Manchester City face familiar foes Real Madrid once again, with the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final taking place on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.
These two sides met at the semi-final stage of this competition last season, with City running out 4-0 winners in Manchester following a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital.
Another tight encounter is expected at the Bernabeu in this intriguing match between two European heavyweights, which kicks off on Tuesday April 9th at 20:00 BST, with coverage available in the UK on TNT Sports 2.
Real must find a way to stop rampant City
In a remarkable feat considering the quality of opposition in the Champions League, City have scored exactly three goals in all of their eight games in the competition this season.
Breezing past the likes of Young Boys, RB Leipzig and Red Star Belgrade in the group stage, City also went on to score three goals home and away in their round-of-16 games against Danish giants FC Copenhagen.
With the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva amongst their ranks, City are spoiled with the creative and goalscoring talent at their disposal.
Real have only conceded three or more goals once in their last 15 games in the Champions League and that was against City at the Etihad Stadium last term.
City would be happy to take any sort of lead away from the Santiago Bernabeu, as they face a stern test against a Los Blancos outfit who have lost just one of their last 35 games in all competitions.
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Real Madrid vs Manchester City team news
Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba are the only long-term absentees still sidelined for Real ahead of City’s arrival this week.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti recently welcomed back Eder Militao from his ACL injury and the 26-year-old Brazilian is pushing to feature on Tuesday night.
Vinicius Jr is set to start after completing his recent suspension, meaning former City starlet Brahim DIaz is likely to drop down to the bench.
As for the visitors, Josko Gvardiol picked up a knock in City’s 4-2 win at Crystal Palace at the weekend but is still expected to be fit to face Real in some capacity.
England right-back Kyle Walker will miss the trip to Spain as he continues to work his way back from a calf injury.
There are hopes the former Tottenham Hotspur star will be fit for the second leg against Real in Manchester.
Meanwhile, Netherlands international Nathan Ake is also set to miss this game at the Bernabeu and he continues his recovery from a calf injury.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City predicted line-ups
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2): Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden.
