Real Madrid vs Man City LIVE: Champions League result and final score after six-goal thriller
Real Madrid 3-3 Man City: Pep Guardiola’s head back to Manchester on level terms with Los Blancos
Manchester City face a battle to retain their Champions League crown after being held to a thrilling 3-3 draw by Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.
The holders twice led in an enthralling contest under the Bernabeu Stadium’s new roof but the quarter-final remains on a knife edge after Federico Valverde gave the hosts a deserved share of the spoils.
Bernardo Silva got City off to a flying start but a Ruben Dias own goal and Rodrygo effort sent Real in at half-time of Tuesday’s first leg 2-1 ahead.
Phil Foden equalised for City with a brilliant strike and Josko Gvardiol put them back in front but Valverde had the final word to set up another intriguing contest at Etihad Stadium next week.
Relive the action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the Champions League right here:
No surpries in Real’s squad
Real Madrid named their squad for tonight’s match against Man City and it’s a very strong one.
Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Antonio Rudiger are all set to feature though Thibaut Courtois, who is sidelined with a meniscus problem, and David Alaba, who has a knee injury, miss out.
Ancelotti calls Guardiola ‘a great coach'
Of course with games of this magnitude it’s only right that both managers are put under the microscope and asked about the other.
In Carlo Ancelotti’s case he called Pep Guardiola ‘a great coach’ but is more focused on what his own team and club think about him rather than the opinion of the Man City boss.
Ancelotti said: “Guardiola is a great coach, I don’t care much about what they think of me. I care what my club thinks but Guardiola is a great coach and there’s no doubt about that.”
Is Real Madrid vs Man City on TV? Kick off time, channel and how to watch Champions League fixture
Manchester City travel to Real Madrid for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side go into the game as the tournament defending champions, having lifted the trophy for the first time in their history in 2023, when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul.
The teams last met in the semi-finals in 2023, when Manchester City triumphed 5-1 on aggregate, after a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, at the Etihad, the Sky Blues were unstoppable, storming to a 4-0 win.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match, and get the latest odds and tips, here.
Is Real Madrid v Man City on TV? How to watch Champions League fixture
Everything you need to know about the Champions League fixture
Carlo Ancelotti ‘very nervous’ ahead of Man City clash
Carlo Ancelotti was asked how he was feeling ahead of tonight’s Champions League quarter-final tie and told the media he was ‘nervous’ thinking about victory and defeat.
“Yes, very nervous. The hours before a match are a time when you have to suffer,” said the Real Madrid coach, “I was thinking the other day that defeat is suffering and victory is happiness, but it’s not that way. Victory is relief.
“It’s happiness if you win trophies, but an isolated victory is a relief. You’re calmer and happier the days after, but suffering is part of your job.
“It’s what keeps you alive. It’s fuel for me.”
Ancelotti on Bellingham
Real Madrid will have Jude Bellingham available to feature against Manchester City with the England midfielder being a revelation for the Spanish giants this season.
Bellingham has scored 20 goals across all competitions and his manager Carlo Ancelotti said: "He’s having a very good season in the penalty box.
"He’s physically very strong and he’s helping us a lot in the defensive aspects and up front, to create space and provide movement. He’s very mature. He’s only 20 years old but he’s very professional, very serious and humble."
New football regulator could help foreign state ownership of Premier League clubs
The independent football regulator may have the effect of facilitating state ownership of clubs, due to a clause in the bill that activist groups believe contradicts the core aim of ensuring “the long-term sustainability and resilience of English football”.
It could even see the planned body obliged to consult with the UK government in situations where state entities seek to buy clubs, potentially undermining the very independence of the regulator. The Independent has been told the prospect has raised further concerns about the regulator within some Premier League clubs as well as the wider football pyramid.
New football regulator could help foreign state ownership of Premier League clubs
Activist groups are concerned that a clause in the government bill for an independent regulator may facilitate foreign countries buying English football clubs
Man City are favourites to win Champions League
Simon Gleave, head of analysis at Nielsen’s Gracenote, using the Euro Club Index has assessed the chances of each team remaining in the Champions League to see who is the favourite to lift the trophy at Wembley.
Gleave said: “The Champions League quarter-final draw has produced four closely-matched ties with no team given more than 59% chance of progressing to the semi-finals.
“Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are the favourites to go through according to our Euro Club Index.
“The odds suggest one or two ‘surprise’ semi-finalists. Manchester City are favourites to win the Champions League with a 31% chance of doing so, despite being drawn against the second best team in the competition for this round.
“Arsenal are fifth favourites because they will have to face the winners of City vs Real in the semi-finals and both are ranked above them on our Euro Club Index.”
City without Walker and Ake
Manchester City will need to make do without defenders Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker who have not made the trip to Spain with the rest of the squad.
Both players are out through injury and will not be fit to play. Josko Gvardiol has travelled but is a doubt after going off at half-time in the 4-2 win against Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Rudiger preparing to stop Haaland again
Former Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is preparing for a match-up with Erling Haaland after keeping the prolific forward quiet during Real Madrid’s clashes with Man City last season.
Last year Rudiger played the first leg in Spain but did not start in Manchester where City scored four of their five goals.
"[The first leg] was a good game and we stopped Haaland getting passes," Rudiger said, "The coach didn’t apologise [for dropping me] and doesn’t need to, I accept it, even though it was hard to accept.
"Now for this game the plan is to try and control dangerous players like Phil Foden, [Kevin] de Bruyne and, of course, Haaland."
How Real Madrid rivalry came to define Man City’s ascent to Europe’s best
A couple of years after their then chief executive Garry Cook had said Manchester City were on course to become “the biggest and best club in the world”, the scoreline suggested he had a point. It was September 2012, a year after Cook had resigned, and City’s second Champions League campaign was off to a spectacular start. With five minutes to go of their opening game, Aleksandar Kolarov scored with a free kick to put them 2-1 up. Against Real Madrid. At the Bernabeu.
Then came the comeback, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring. It would not be the last injury-time goal City conceded in the Bernabeu but it was an illustration of Real’s ability to strike back on behalf of the established order. City didn’t win a game in that Champions League campaign, propping up their group. Real got to their semi-finals; even that was scarcely a success by their standards.
As they return to the Spanish capital for a sixth visit in a dozen years, City have eight wins already in this season’s competition, 10 in a row since drawing at the Bernabeu last year. For all Cook’s bravado and City’s silverware, many would still anoint Real the world’s biggest club. Yet City’s treble last year gave them a claim to be the best team. But for the fact they were drawn against each other, they would probably be the two favourites now; even before then, each felt the likeliest side to stop the other.
How Real Madrid rivalry came to define Manchester City’s ascent to Europe’s best
A third knockout tie in as many seasons comes with City finally taking the step to become European champions – and signals the start of a new chapter in the rivalry
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