Real Madrid Lineup vs Manchester City CONFIRMED: Kylian Mbappe on Bench for UCL 2nd Leg

Nachiketa Nag

Published - Mar 17, 2026, 07:13 PM

4 min

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Real Madrid routed their eternal rivals in the Champions League round of 16, Manchester City, with an immaculate display in the previous leg played a week prior. The Los Blancos gained a whopping 3-goal lead thanks to an unbeatable first-half hat-trick by their Uruguayan gem, Fredrico Valverde. Manchester City will thus feel the trepidation upon inviting the undisputed kings of the Champions League tournament to their home, in hopes of a ravishing remontada.

Pep Guardiola had an abysmal night the last time these two teams met, which is not at all characteristic for the legendary manager, who will surely have some tactical trick up his sleeves to upturn the Whites' high horse. The fixture itself has become a modern UCL classic, marking the fifth consecutive season the two sides have met in a two-legged knockout tie, amounting to 15 UCL meetings overall.

Despite the potential to get monotonous due to their frequency of matchups, ties between these two giants have always kept the fans at the edge of their seats, be it Real Madrid's extra-time comeback in the 2021-22 semis, where they went on to win the title or City's 4-0 Etihad demolition in the 2022-23 semis, when they eventually went on to clinch the title. Even before Real Madrid's knockout win this UCL season, City had beaten them 2-1 in the group stage. Thus, this extremely even matchup, with 6 wins for Real Madrid, 5 for Manchester City, and 5 Draws overall, is going to be a must-watch for any football fan.

Pre-match Press Conferences

Real Madrid go into the match as clear favourites, despite Manchester City's home advantage. Speaking before the match, Real Madrid manager Arbeloa practised a confident yet subtly cautious tone, in keeping with the general unpredictability of the beautiful sport. The manager, to the relief of millions of Madrid fans, confirmed the fitness and availability of French Captain Kylian Mbappe. He spoke about the challenge at hand, giving the Manchester City squad the respect they deserve, due to their stature, while also downplaying the previous week's celebrations, citing the heritage of the club through extremely eloquent terminology in saying, “At this club, you celebrate winning trophies, not just games”.

Pep Guardiola, just like his usual self, was not blind to the facts and hand, and the seemingly impossible nature of the task at hand. However, he reassured supporters that being 3 goals down gives the team the freedom to try harder, along with a variety of plays, because they have all to play for. The major concerns that the veteran manager expressed were focused on mitigating the porous nature of City's backline in recent weeks

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Lineups

Real Madrid are known for their Galacticos squads filled up to the brim with top talent, and this rendition of the team is no different. Although Madrid on the surface, is suffering from some crucial injuries, the depth of the squad and the initiative taken by young and veteran players alike have allowed the team to function smoothly. Rodrygo, the creative Brazilian playmaker, has just operated on his ACL and is out for the whole season, while there is some good news regarding Jude Bellingham, who joined the team for training but couldn't make the squad list for this fixture. Other absentees include Eder Militão and Dani Ceballos.