It's been a very tough season for the hosts. Pep Guardiola has cut a visibly forlorn figure on the touchline as he has failed to get a tune out of his great but ageing squad. All they can hope for in the Premier League is Champions League qualification, which is not good enough by their standards. This competition is the only real way for them to make this season successful. To do so, they will have to massively up their game against one of their biggest continental rivals.
On the other hand, it's business as usual at the Bernabeu. Carlo Ancelotti has led his team to the top of the table once again and they will be many people's favourites to win La Liga this season. After faltering somewhat early on in the campaign, as they looked to find a solution for playing Mbappe, Vini Jr and Bellingham together, they have figured it out and it's full steam ahead. The Spanish capital will be confident that Los Blancos can pile the misery on Guardiola and City, starting with this first leg in Manchester.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Team News
The hosts remain without their talismanic Balon d'Or winning midfielder Rodri for the long term. Oscar Bobb, Nathan Ake, Jeremy Doku and Ederson are also joined in the treatment room by new signing Nico Gonzalez, who came off injured in his debut against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup at the weekend.
Madrid have plenty of key players sidelined too, mostly in defensive areas. David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Lucas Vazquez and Antonio Rudiger are all out injured.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Possible Lineups
With Nico Gonzalez getting injured immediately, the gaping hole in City's midfield remains. Pep Doesn't have too many options at his disposal to fix that, so expect the Bernardo Silva and Kovacic pivot nightmare to continue. He may, however, look to switch things up slightly in the back four and the three behind Haaland, perhaps giving Stones a try at right back to bring more solidity and Grealish a try off the left wing.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Stones, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Madrid's defensive woes worsened by Lucas Vazquez's injury in the Madrid derby at the weekend. Camavinga may have to play right back in his place, meaning two of the four defenders will be natural midfielders and one of the other two will be a youngster in Raul Asencio. Their attacking power will be undiminished but they can be got at defensively.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy; Valverde, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Prediction
There should be plenty of goals in this one. Man City are extremely open, mostly due to their horrendous midfield situation. Meanwhile, Madrid's makeshift backline is getting more patchwork by the minute. No matter how cagey these two try to be, they surely won't be able to keep each other out for long. A high-scoring draw for this first leg would not surprise.
Prediction: Man City 3 - 3 Real Madrid
Two of the giants of world football, meeting under the midweek lights at the Etihad, with Champions League survival on the line. This is one of the biggest games of the season so far and a must-watch for all football fans.
Fans in the UK can watch Man City vs Real Madrid exclusively via live streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
