Real Madrid vs Man City preview, team news and prediction

An underwhelming Real Madrid side and an under-pressure Xabi Alonso seems like the perfect scenario for Man City to face their Champions League rivals

European heavyweights Real Madrid and Manchester City take center stage on Wednesday evening at the Bernabeu, headlining matchweek six of the Champions League league phase. Both clubs have endured underwhelming campaigns so far, with expectations running high among their respective fanbases.

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso is under mounting pressure following a disastrous 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo over the weekend, while Manchester City arrive in Spain riding a three-game winning streak.

Currently four points adrift of Barcelona in the La Liga title race, Los Blancos have managed just two wins in their last seven matches across all competitions and suffered their first home defeat of the season on Sunday. By their lofty standards, Madrid are teetering on the brink of crisis. The loss to Celta Vigo was a nightmare on all fronts: defensive injuries worsened, attackers squandered key opportunities, and three players received red cards in a chaotic collapse at the Bernabeu.

Alonso, who began his tenure with 13 wins from his first 14 games, has now overseen just two victories in his last 630 minutes of football. Unsurprisingly, speculation about his future has intensified amid reports of unrest within the squad. Nevertheless, the former Liverpool midfielder will remain at the helm for City’s visit, with Real having collected an impressive 12 points from 15 in the Champions League group stage. Their most recent European outing was a narrow 4-3 win over Olympiacos, secured by a remarkable four-goal haul from Kylian Mbappé.

Despite recent struggles, Real Madrid boast a perfect home record in this season’s Champions League, with earlier victories over Juventus and Marseille at the Bernabeu. In fact, they have won 13 of their last 14 group stage or league phase matches on home soil.

Manchester City, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after a 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on matchday five, where goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick handed Pep Guardiola’s side their first Champions League loss of the season. Guardiola, who rotated heavily with 10 changes for that match, later admitted he may have overdone it—an experiment that has left City outside the automatic qualification spots for the last 16.

With 10 points from their first five games, City sit ninth in the standings, behind Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, and Chelsea on goal difference, and results elsewhere could see them slip further. However, the Citizens have responded well since their Leverkusen setback, stringing together three consecutive Premier League victories, including high-scoring wins over Leeds United and Fulham, and a comfortable 3-0 triumph against Sunderland.

City are no strangers to facing Real Madrid, but they will be eager to avoid a third consecutive defeat to Los Blancos following last season’s 6-3 aggregate loss in the knockout round playoffs. Historically, City have found the Bernabeu a tough venue, winning just once in seven previous visits—a 2-1 victory in February 2020.

Real Madrid vs Man City Team News

Already contending with a depleted defense, Xabi Alonso’s injury woes deepened against Celta Vigo when Eder Militao limped off with a first-half hamstring injury, ruling him out of Wednesday’s clash. Militao joins Dani Carvajal (knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh), and Ferland Mendy (hamstring) on the sidelines, while David Alaba and former Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen are racing against time to recover from muscle strains.

As a result, Alonso is left with limited options at the back, though he won’t have to worry about suspensions—Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia, both sent off over the weekend, will serve their bans in La Liga rather than in Europe.

In attack, Kylian Mbappé continues to shine, having already set a personal best with nine goals in this Champions League campaign, including seven strikes against Manchester City alone in the competition.

By contrast, Manchester City have few defensive concerns, although John Stones was a surprise omission from the squad in the win over Sunderland due to an unspecified injury, with Pep Guardiola unable to provide further details post-match. Stones’s status remains uncertain ahead of Guardiola’s pre-match press conference, but City are definitely without midfielders Mateo Kovacic (ankle) and Rodri (thigh) for their trip to Madrid.

Rayan Cherki, who notched two assists on Saturday—including a spectacular rabona cross for Phil Foden’s header—has made a strong case to earn his first Champions League start for City this week.

Real Madrid vs Man City Prediction

• Man City to win and both teams to score – 5/2 (Betfred)
• Over 2.5 goals – 1/2 (Betfred)
• Erling Haaland to score anytime – 4/5 (Betfred)

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