The last nine encounters between these two have produced 36 goals, with both teams scoring in eight of them. For context, that's a goal scored every 24 minutes on average.
Man City have won only one of six previous visits to the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Preview
After a high-scoring thriller in the first leg, the kind of entertainment that's become customary when these two meet, what will this rematch have in store?
Eight nights ago at the Etihad, the two-star strikers came to the fore; Erling Haaland lashed home an early opener, before Kylian Mbappé's shin looped home an equaliser on the hour mark. Only then, Haaland hit back, converting a penalty ten minutes from time that had Man City, seemingly, set for victory.
However, you should never write off a Real remontada. Brahim Díaz slotted home an equaliser soon after before, deep into added time, more calamitous defending from the hosts allowed Jude Bellingham to poke home a dramatic winner from mere picometres out. 3-2 it finished to the defending champions, who are firmly in the catbird seat to advance.
Defeat in this tie would represent Real Madrid's earliest European Cup exit since 1962, after Carlo Ancelotti's team rather made a mess of the league phase, beaten by Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool.
They've now won four successive Champions League matches, scoring at least three times in all of them. Should they complete the job here, the holders and 15-times kings of Europe will face either Bayer Leverkusen or fierce rivals Atlético Madrid in the last 16, so an exciting tie is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, in La Liga, Los Blancos are winless in three, held to a 1-1 draw by Osasuna on Saturday. Bellingham was controversially sent off for dissent at El Sadar after Mbappé had broken the deadlock in Pamplona.
This means it is very tight at the top, with Real and Barça now both on 51 points, while Atleti are just a point behind. Turning attention back to this tie, Los Merengues are unbeaten in six Champions League ties in which they've won the first leg, losing just one of the last 21, beaten only by Ajax in this scenario since 2007.
Manchester City have reached, as last, the Champions League quarter-finals in each of the last seven seasons, a streak that's seemingly set to end. In this season's competition so far, Pep Guardiola's team have only beaten Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Club Brugge, hence why victory in the Spanish capital feels unlikely.
At the weekend, though, the Sky Blues did claim a vital, morale-boosting Premier League victory, hammering Newcastle 4-0, Omar Marmoush the scorer of a first-half hat-trick, moving them back up to fourth. Now, can Man City pull off a historic comeback at the Bernabéu?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Head-to-Head Record
- Matches Played: 13.
- Real Madrid Wins: 5. Draws: 4. Manchester City Wins: 4.
Real Madrid Team News
Fair to say, Real Madrid were forced to deploy a rather makeshift back-line at the Etihad, featuring Raúl Asencio, who made his senior debut as recently as November, alongside midfielders Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
However, to ease these concerns, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that both David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger are available for this second leg, albeit Éder Militão, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vázquez remain sidelined long-term.
Assuming both are thrown straight back in, Tchouaméni will return to midfield, while Rodrygo will also start, meaning Dani Ceballos, as well as Luka Modrić and Etihad scorer Brahim Díaz, both of whom started at Osasuna on Saturday, will be back on the bench. Modrić, Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Tchouaméni and Endrick would all miss the round of 16 first leg suspended if booked.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Manchester City: (4-3-3): Courtois, Valverde, Rüdiger, Alaba, Mendy; Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinícius, Mbappé.
Real Madrid Player to Watch vs Manchester City
Kylian Mbappé now has 24 goals to his name this season, while his rather unorthodox volley last Tuesday takes his tally to 52 in the Champions League, only seven men have more, four of which have come against Man City.
Manchester City Team News
The visitors are without Manuel Akanji, Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Jack Grealish due to injury, although Pep Guardiola is hopeful that both Rúben Dias and Nathan Aké could return, after neither featured at the weekend. Meantime, in a further blow to defensive options, January signing Vitor Reis is not in the UEFA squad, as only three new recruits are eligable to be added.
The headline team news however, is the fact Erling Haaland is a doubt, seemingly jarring his knee against Newcastle on Saturday, and the extent of this injury is not yet known.
None of Man City's new signings started the first leg but, irrespective of Haaland's fitness status, Omar Marmoush will surely be included in the lineup this time, following his hat-trick at the weekend. Lastly, Dias is one booking away from a ban, although there might not be a next match to be suspended for.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Real Madrid: (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Stones, Gvardiol; Kovačić, Nico, Silva, De Bruyne, Foden; Marmoush.
Manchester City Player to Watch vs Real Madrid
New signing Nico González started in the Premier League for the first time in Saturday, earning rave reviews, so can the former Barcelona academy graduate help turn this tie around?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Prediction
We are backing Real Madrid to cruise through to the last 16. Despite victory at the weekend, Man City are generally all over the place at the back, an issue los Blancos can clinically expose, hence why we're backing Carlo Ancelotti's team to comfortably progress: Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City FAQs - Champions League
How to watch Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League game on TV channel?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League game will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1
- USA: Paramount+, TUDN USA, & Univision NOW.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League game on live streaming?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City Champions League game will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+, fuboTV, TUDN.com & ViX.
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Real Madrid vs Manchester City in the Champions League?
Real Madrid vs Manchester City in the Champions League takes place on Wednesday 19 February 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (GMT), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PST).