Real Madrid will know they’re not taking on a Manchester City team at its domineering best with a place in the Champions League round of 16 at stake.
Madrid have beaten and succumbed to far superior iterations of Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens, but an “emergency” injury situation could somewhat level the playing field.
The La Liga leaders are hardly the most tactically coherent outfit, and their availability issues in defence are bound to exacerbate their flaws against a City team that still knows how to find the back of the net.
They’ll doubtlessly benefit from playing the return leg at home so they can wreak their voodoo magic once more, but Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded forward line may take the tie away from City on Tuesday night.
Here’s how Madrid could line up for the first leg at the Etihad.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – Courtois rarely has quiet nights at the Etihad, although Andriy Lunin was the penalty shootout hero last season. Expect the Belgian to be busy on Tuesday.
RB: Federico Valverde – Lucas Vazquez is the visitors’ latest casualty, leaving Ancelotti with little choice but to use midfielder Valverde at right-back. The Uruguayan international has gotten comfortable with the role in recent weeks.
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni – Los Blancos are without their three senior centre-backs for the first leg, so they’ll be deploying a partnership absolutely no Madridista would’ve projected to start just this game once the draw was made.
CB: Raul Asencio – The young defender is adept across the backline and would’ve been a contender to start at full-back hadn’t Madrid been so hurt in the centre.
LB: Ferland Mendy – With Fran Garcia playing 90 minutes at the weekend, Ancelotti could favour Mendy’s superior athleticism and one-on-one ability against City.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – The French international returned off the bench in the Madrid Derby and has to be considered a shoo-in on Tuesday night.
CM: Luka Modric – Modric doesn’t have 90 minutes in him, but Ancelotti could use him from the outset and let him play a Toni Kroos-esque role under the lights to ensure Madrid establish control in possession.
RM: Rodrygo – Rodrygo has been a thorn in the Cityzens over the years. His memorable last-gasp brace set up Madrid’s victory in the 2021/22 Champions League semi-finals and he scored in both legs last season.
AM: Jude Bellingham – The Englishman is back on familiar shores on Tuesday having played a major role in Madrid’s quarter-final victory over City last term. His output has not been as impressive in 2024/25, but he continues to get himself into excellent scoring positions. Bellingham’s power could overwhelm the hosts.
LM: Vinicius Junior – The 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up hasn’t scored in La Liga for three months, but he was brilliant on Saturday and has shone on this ground before.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – Mbappe salvaged a point for Ancelotti’s side in the derby and has come into his own over the past couple of months. City have their work cut out if they’re to slow the Frenchman down.
