Man City vs Real Madrid: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Manchester City and Real Madrid meet again over two legs as they battle it out to reach the Champions League round of 16.

These two have combined for some of the most memorable outings in the competition's modern history, with the pair facing off in the previous three Champions League campaigns. However, City's underwhelming league phase means they're facing off against the perennial European champions at a much earlier knockout juncture.

Pep Guardiola's side squeaked into the play-offs by virtue of a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge on Matchday 8. They finished a lowly 22nd in the table to set up this blockbuster tie.

Madrid's continental campaign struggled to get going until late on in the league phase, with back-to-back victories over RB Salzburg and Brest seeing them climb up to 11th. The holders have distinct issues despite their array of superstars, but this is usually the time when they come into their own.

A 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid on Saturday means Carlo Ancelotti's side remain at the summit of La Liga, but we look poised for a thrilling three-horse race for the title.

Here is 90min's guide to the game.

Man City vs Real Madrid head-to-head results (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Man City vs Real Madrid on TV - UK & US

Man City team news

Nico Gonzalez was forced off on debut / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Rodri has been included in Man City's squad for the knockout stages, with the club holding out hope that he may return from a torn ACL before the end of the season. The Spaniard's still some way off a full recovery, though.

January signing Vitor Reis hasn't been added to the squad, but the rest of City's new boys have. There are doubts over Nico Gonzalez's status, however, after he limped off with a back injury on Saturday.

Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku are likely to miss out again through injury.

Man City predicted lineup vs Real Madrid

Man City predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Akanji, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Bernardo, Kovacic; Foden, De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland

Real Madrid team news

Lucas Vazquez picked up a hamstring injury at the weekend / Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Madrid have serious issues in defence with Lucas Vazquez the latest to join the injury list. The veteran Spaniard is expected to miss both legs against City due to a hamstring injury.

Antonio Rudiger may be back next week, but he's going to miss Tuesday's game with a thigh injury. David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Dani Carvajal are also sidelined.

Federico Valverde will likely be used at right-back, potentially opening the door for Luka Modric to start in midfield. Eduardo Camavinga was back at the weekend and is a shoo-in for Ancelotti's pivot.

Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Man City (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Camavinga, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe.

Man City vs Real Madrid score prediction

Real Madrid have no defenders and Man City can't defend. This isn't going to be 0-0.

Both teams have obvious structural issues, and Madrid's injury woes in defence will only exacerbate their inability to press with any coherence. City have had similar problems attempting to regain possession high up the pitch and are liable to surrendering multiple high-quality chances in defensive transition every game.

Madrid's devastating frontline will feast at the Etihad, but the hosts should have joy, too. There will be goals, and Guardiola would be wise to embrace the chaos instead of believing his team will be able to assert the sort of control on display from their emphatic semi-final triumph over Madrid two seasons ago.

The first leg could go either way.