Real Madrid – Manchester City Return to the Field – The Probable Lineups

REAL MADRID – MANCHESTER CITY “CHAMPIONS LEAGUE”: The match will be played on Wednesday, February 19 at 21:00 at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid and Manchester City will face each other this Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Blancos are considered favorites to advance to the quarterfinals, especially after their hard-fought win in the first leg in Manchester (2-3), and will aim to defend their advantage. However, recent years’ history makes it difficult to predict the outcome. Recently, the situation in LaLiga for Ancelotti’s men has drastically changed: after a 2-2 draw against Osasuna and only 2 points from their last 9 LaLiga games, they have lost the top spot to Barcelona. On the other hand, Manchester City had a resounding 4-0 victory over Newcastle over the weekend, moving back into the Champions League spots and seemingly overcoming the difficult period in the league that had seen them slip out of the European places.

Guardiola, pessimistic about the ‘final’ against Madrid: “We have less than a 1% chance of passing”

In the first leg, City presented a significantly weaker condition compared to previous years, and this was reflected on the pitch. Despite an early slight dominance, they did not show the same intensity they had in their previous home games against Madrid, with a vulnerable defense. The Blancos, although risking defeat, were superior for most of the match and had several chances to widen their lead.

For City, it will be difficult to surprise a Real Madrid side that, despite not playing spectacular football, has all the attacking resources to hurt them. At the Bernabéu, with the first unfavorable result in the Champions League, the mission for the Citizens seems very complicated.

Guardiola heavily relies on new signing Marmoush, a hundred-million-euro acquisition fresh from a hat-trick in City’s last game. Alongside him, behind Haaland, will be Foden and Savino, with Bernardo Silva also expected to start alongside Gundogan before making runs into the attacking midfield.

Real Madrid-Manchester City, Ancelotti’s choices

Ancelotti must face the usual defensive emergency. Valverde will move to the right, and Tchouameni will step back in the center of defense. The formation will be 4-4-2 with Bellingham and Rodrygo on the wings, and in the heart of the field, Camavinga and Ceballos. The attacking pair will be the explosive duo of Mbappé and Vinicius Junior.

Real Madrid-Manchester City, Guardiola’s choices

Guardiola relies heavily on new signing Marmoush, a hundred-million-euro acquisition fresh from a hat-trick in City’s last game. Alongside him, behind Haaland, will be Foden and Savino, with Bernardo Silva expected to start alongside Gundogan before moving into attacking midfield.

Real Madrid-Manchester City, probable lineups:

Real Madrid (4-4-2): Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asensio, Mendy; Rodrygo, Camavinga, Ceballos, Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappé. Coach: Ancelotti.

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Ruben Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Bernardo Silva; Foden, Marmoush, Savinho; Haaland. Coach: Guardiola.

Article by Rebecca Olivieri.