Proceedings in Spain have been tumultuous for Real Madrid as of late. But — while Carlo Ancelotti would surely much prefer not to be in the muck of the knockout phase at all — his side are in a position of authority against opponents Manchester City, poised to push on to the round of 16.
It's worth noting that, if the situation was reversed and Real Madrid found themselves down three goals to two — as is the case for City — soccer media at large still would tip them to turn the tides and win out. But Manchester City have shown little this season to encourage supporters that they're also capable of such feats.
While Real Madrid spent nearly all of the first leg on the back foot, courtesy of an early Erling Haaland goal, they produced some more of the Madridista magic that we've all come to expect. 1-0 became 1-1 after a fox-in-the-box effort from Kylian Mbappe, but when Haaland punched another one home via a penalty kick, things seemed bleak — at least they would for most teams. Real Madrid are not most teams. They pulled not just one, but two goals back — the latter coming off the boot of Jude Bellingham. Perhaps the most shocking thing about the finale though, is that as Bellingham ran past goalkeeper Ederson onto a through-ball and toward an open net, nobody in sky blue seemed particularly keen to stop him.
The formula then, for Real Madrid, may be to simply control the game and wait for a now-guaranteed City slip up.
Can Manchester City's new savior do it again?
After City's weekend romp versus Newcastle in the Premier League, all eyes in the locker room now turn to Omar Marmoush. While it's surely too much to ask the Egyptian Prince to bag his second hat trick in a week, they'll hope that he can contribute even a fraction of that on Wednesday.
Against Real Madrid in the first leg of this tie, City managed 55 percent of possession and completed 90 percent of their passes. But these, really stunning, numbers were undercut by the Citizens registering only half the number of shots that Real Madrid had. Against Newcastle, though, Pep's men battered the Magpie goal, particularly with on-target efforts. Seven out of 11 attempts were on-frame, and more than half of those found the back of the net.
Real Madrid have proven, both domestically and in the Champions League, that they are liable to stumble — either in performance or temperament — it's up to City to capitalize. In that sense. Wednesday's match has a decidedly different feel to the Madrid-City European spectacles of years past. We're looking at two clubs with incredible quality, who have also developed a habit of finding themselves in incredible disasters. The stakes of the game require a wide-open, expansive posture from Manchester City, which could be just what they need to remind the world who they have been.
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City news, predicted lineup and score
In addition to a setback for David Alaba and a muscle problem for Lucas Vázquez, defender Antonio Rüdiger remains out for Real Madrid for the midweek matchup. His absence could turn out to have an enormous impact on their ability to stop the combination of Haaland and Marmoush.
For Manchester City, all of Jack Grealish, Nathan Aké, and Ruben Dias are expected to be ready for Wednesday's trip to Madrid.
Real Madrid predicted line up: Courtois, Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy, Ceballos, Camavinga, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Mbappe
Manchester City predicted line up: Ederson, Khusanov, Dias, Stones, Aké, Lewis, Gvardiol, Savinho, Foden, Haaland, Marmoush
Predicted Score: Real Madrid (5) 2- 2 (4) Manchester City
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 19
- Start Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium — Madrid, Spain
- Watch: Paramount+
Kickoff for the match is 3:00 p.m. ET, on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The game will be streaming exclusively on Paramount +.