European football focuses on the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night as Real Madrid and Manchester City meet for the 15th time in Champions League history.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso faces increasing pressure after a surprising 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo in La Liga. This result has heightened scrutiny over his team’s recent struggles. Meanwhile, City arrives in the Spanish capital with renewed confidence after winning three consecutive Premier League matches.
Real Madrid: Searching for Stability Amid a Tough Run
Real Madrid’s recent performance has raised concerns among fans and the club. They sit four points behind Barcelona in the domestic title race and have only two wins in their last seven matches across all competitions. Last weekend, they also suffered their first home defeat of the season.
Despite this turmoil, Alonso’s squad has been much more dependable in Europe. Madrid heads into this match with 12 points from a possible 15 and remains unbeaten at home in the Champions League this season. Their thrilling 4-3 win over Olympiacos on matchday five, led by a four-goal display from Kylian Mbappé, highlighted the attacking strength the team can show at any time.
Manchester City Looking to Steady Their European Campaign
Manchester City travels to Madrid determined to improve their Champions League standing after an unexpected 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in their last European match. Pep Guardiola admitted that he may have over-rotated his squad, making ten changes, which left City outside the automatic qualification spots for the round of 16.
Domestically, City has bounced back strongly, winning three straight league games to regain momentum. The English team will now aim to avoid a third consecutive loss to Real Madrid after being eliminated 6-3 on aggregate by Los Blancos last season. Historically, City has found it difficult to win at the Bernabéu, achieving just one victory in seven visits.
Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-2-3-1):
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Ceballos; Güler, Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior; Garcia.
Manchester City Predicted XI (4-1-4-1):
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland.
