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In the Champions League Round of 16, the second leg between Manchester City and Real Madrid will take place on March 17, 2026. Guardiola will try to outsmart his inexperienced opponent, but there’s a lot to come back from.<\/p>\n
The giants find themselves in similar situations, but their managements took different approaches. In 2025, Guardiola also failed to win any trophies. However, his position remained secure, and now Pep and his squad are pushing Arsenal in the Premier League title race and hoping to beat them in the League Cup final.<\/p>\n
Florentino P\u00e9rez, after last spring\u2019s defeats in all competitions, replaced Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso. However, Alonso added to the setbacks with failures at the Club World Cup and in the January Super Cup\u2014after that, the former midfielder left. Arbeloa made his debut with a cup defeat to Albacete. On the other hand, Barcelona no longer dominate La Liga as before.<\/p>\n
In the Champions League, Haaland and company also had some notable slip-ups: they dropped points in Monaco, lost at home to Bayer, and lost away to Bod\u00f8\/Glimt. But they won the other matches\u2014including a 2-1 win on Spanish soil. As a result, the English side only started their knockout stage campaign last week.<\/p>\n
The Madrid club began with three wins, but then lost every second match. In the last round, they were beaten 2-4 by Benfica, conceding a goal to the goalkeeper in stoppage time. However, they immediately took revenge against the Portuguese side, beating them twice\u2014though both wins were controversial. Against the English side, it was unexpectedly easier: a 3-0 rout thanks to a Valverde hat-trick.<\/p>\n
Previous Matches: Manchester City vs Real Madrid<\/p>\n
The clubs have played each other regularly in recent times. In February’s previous knockout stage, the Spaniards won twice. But in December, they lost 1-2 at home.<\/p>\n
The English side are expected to win, but not to stage a full comeback. There should be no lack of excitement\u2014bet on “total over 3.0 goals” (odds \u2013 1.8).<\/p>\n
Manchester City vs Real Madrid: Key Statistics and Trends
\nManchester City have won five out of nine matches in the tournament
\nThe club scores an average of 1.67 goals and concedes 1.33
\nReal Madrid have won four out of five Champions League matches
\nThe team scores an average of 2.45 goals and concedes 1.18
\nManchester City vs Real Madrid: Probable Starting Lineups
\nManchester City play with a 1-4-1-3-2 formation (probable lineup): Donnarumma – O’Riley, Guehi, Ruben Dias, Khusanov – Rodri Hernandez, Doku, Bernardo Silva, Savinho – Haaland, Semenyo. Kovacic and Gvardiol are still not ready to return.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid play with a 1-4-4-2 formation (probable lineup): Courtois – Mendy, Heisen, R\u00fcdiger, Alexander-Arnold – G\u00fcler, Tchouam\u00e9ni, Pitarch, Valverde – Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Junior. It’s uncertain whether Mbapp\u00e9 will be risked. Milit\u00e3o, Rodrygo, and Carreras will definitely miss out, and Bellingham is also unlikely to return home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"