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Who: Real Madrid vs Manchester City
What: UEFA Champions League
Where: Santiago Bernabeu successful Madrid, Spain
When: Wednesday, December 10, astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the buildup connected Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso faces mounting unit earlier Wednesday’s Champions League group-stage gathering against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, but the Spaniard was assured the squad could crook their mediocre signifier around.
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Alonso, a erstwhile Real Madrid and Spain midfielder, took implicit from Carlo Ancelotti astatine the extremity of past season, but has struggled to impressment with a broadside that besides underachieved past season.
In their mode connected Wednesday are a City broadside led by a erstwhile Barcelona midfielder and manager successful Guardiola, adding to the value of anticipation connected the match.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a person look astatine the League Phase encounter.
How bash Real Madrid and Man City basal successful the Champions League?
Real are 5th successful the Champions League standings connected 12 points, 3 down leaders Arsenal. City are ninth connected 10 points, chasing a top-eight decorativeness that would unafraid nonstop qualification to the past 16.
What happened successful Real Madrid’s past match?
Real were beaten 2-0 connected Sunday by Celta Vigo with Real reduced to 9 players aft defenders Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were sent off.
It near the nine 2nd successful La Liga with 36 points, 4 down leaders Barcelona, portion Los Blancos person present lone won 2 of their past 7 matches crossed each competitions.
Adding to Alonso’s challenges, Madrid could beryllium without arsenic galore arsenic 8 cardinal players, including top-scorer Kylian Mbappe, who missed grooming connected Tuesday with a musculus injury.
If Mbappe is incapable to play against City connected Wednesday, it would beryllium a large stroke for manager Xabi Alonso, with Spanish media reporting that a decision would pb to his dismissal.
What happened successful Man City’s past match?
City stormed to 3-0 triumph against Sunderland successful the English apical formation connected Saturday to support their chances of lifting a 5th Premier League rubric successful six seasons.
Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Phil Foden netted the goals that handed City a 3rd consecutive Premier League win.
What has Madrid manager Alonso said astir his Real challenge?
Despite their disappointing tally successful caller weeks, Alonso remains optimistic.
“Football tin alteration rapidly … for bully oregon for bad,” Alonso told a quality league connected Tuesday. “After the Celta match, we’ve already drawn our conclusions.
“Now it’s conscionable City successful our minds. It’s the Champions League, we’re astatine the Bernabeu. It volition beryllium antithetic due to the fact that of the vigor that’s created. That’s what’s connected our minds, what’s up of us.
“We’re each successful this together. United. Convinced that this is an opportunity. We request to person the vigor to link with the Bernabeu. If that happens, we person a accidental to win.
“In football, you person to accommodate and learn. Some days are good, others are not,” helium added.
“But we are making advancement with each match. Good happening we person a situation tomorrow. The champion mode to determination guardant is to look it. It’s a situation that we indispensable emergence to.”
Real Madrid vs Man City ne'er disappoints 🍿#UCL pic.twitter.com/G2SN3Uaoqi
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 5, 2025
Is Alonso’s presumption astatine Real Madrid genuinely nether threat?
Asked whether his occupation could beryllium astatine hazard if Real falter against City, Alonso remained defiant.
“When you manager Real Madrid, you person to beryllium prepared for situations similar this. We are a team, we are each united,” helium said.
“To reverse the disappointment, which is normal, each we’re reasoning astir present is City.”
Guardiola offers enactment to erstwhile worker Alonso
In betwixt managing Barcelona and Manchester City, Guardiola coached Bayern Munich, wherever Alonso was a subordinate for his chap Spaniard.
“I lone privation him the best, I emotion and admit him,” Guardiola said.
“Every squad is antithetic and Xabi knows what helium has to do. It is simply a process and fto america spot however this ends.
“A play is simply a rollercoaster, determination are injuries and things happen. Since coaching astatine Barcelona, I wanted the squad to turn from October and past spot what happens and however it ends.”
Stat onslaught – Mbappe vs Haaland
Mbappe’s lack would beryllium a important stroke for Alonso’s team, with the Frenchman starring some the LaLiga and Champions League scoring charts this season.
The 26-year-old striker has scored 25 goals successful 21 matches crossed each competitions this play and has been Madrid’s cardinal player.
Mbappe against Haaland archetypal happened successful the circular of 16 successful February 2020. Newly arrived astatine Borussia Dortmund, Haaland scored 2 successful the archetypal limb against Paris Saint-Germain and revealed his “Zen” extremity celebration, sitting down cross-legged arsenic if meditating. Mbappe and PSG won successful Paris to beforehand 3-2 connected aggregate score.
Last season, successful the knockout playoffs successful February, Mbappe scored 4 times, including a hat-trick successful the 2nd limb arsenic Madrid bushed Man City successful some games, contempt Haaland’s 2 goals successful the archetypal leg.
Mbappe’s 4 goals astatine Olympiakos past period lifted him to beryllium apical scorer successful the Champions League this season. He needs 1 much to scope 10 successful a Champions League play for the archetypal clip during his decennary successful the competition.
Haaland has 5 truthful far, and already got into treble figures successful 3 Champions League campaigns.
Head-to-head
Wednesday’s clash volition beryllium the 13th gathering betwixt the clubs successful the past decade, a rivalry that has intensified arsenic Real and City combined to assertion 3 of the past 4 Champions League titles.
Real won the contention successful 2022 and 2024, beating City en way to some titles, portion the English broadside lifted their maiden Champions League trophy successful 2023 aft overcoming the Spanish nine successful the semifinal that year.
Real Madrid squad news
Real Madrid’s French superstar Kylian Mbappe did not travel retired to bid with his teammates connected Tuesday connected the eve of his team’s cardinal Champions League clash against City.
The guardant broke a digit during the decision by Celta Vigo successful La Liga connected Sunday, and Madrid person said his lack from grooming was due to the fact that of that injury, but besides different discomfort helium suffered successful that match.
The 26-year-old joins an already packed wounded database that includes Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga.
Manchester City squad news
Defender John Stones missed the triumph against Sunderland with an unspecified injury.
City volition decidedly beryllium without Mateo Kovacic and Rodri, who stay wounded absentees.
Predicted Real Madrid starting lineup
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras; Tchouameni, Ceballos; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Garcia
Predicted Manchester City starting lineup
Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Doku; Haaland
English (US) ·