Clashing for the 15th time in the Champions League, European heavyweights Real Madrid and Manchester City headline matchweek six of the league phase at the Bernabeu today.
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso faces mounting pressure after a disastrous 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo at the weekend, while the Sky Blues arrive on a three-match winning streak in the Premier League.
Currently four points behind Barcelona in La Liga, with just two wins from their last seven games across all competitions and their first home loss of the season against Celta, Real have arguably entered a crisis by their high standards. Against Celta Vigo, defensive injuries worsened, attackers missed multiple chances, and three players received red cards in a Bernabeu meltdown. Alonso’s reign, which began with 13 wins in 14 games, has seen just two victories in the last 630 minutes, raising questions about his future in Madrid.
Despite these challenges, Alonso will remain in charge for City’s visit, where Real have collected 12 points from 15 in the Champions League, including victories over Juventus and Marseille at home. The club boasts a 100% home record in this season’s UCL, and 13 of their last 14 group-stage home matches have ended in victory.
Manchester City, meanwhile, look to bounce back from a 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on matchday five, which saw goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick. Pep Guardiola’s men, who made ten changes for that fixture, now sit outside the automatic last-16 spots, collecting 10 points from 15 and trailing Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon, and Chelsea on goal difference. However, they have responded with three consecutive Premier League wins, including victories over Leeds, Fulham, and Sunderland.
City aim to avoid a third straight loss to Real Madrid, following a 6-3 aggregate defeat in last season’s knockout round. They have only won once in seven visits to the Bernabeu, a 2-1 triumph in February 2020.
Injury concerns dominate Alonso’s side: Eder Militao suffered a hamstring injury against Celta Vigo, ruling him out of Wednesday’s clash, leaving Real thin at the back. Fortunately for Alonso, Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia, who were sent off over the weekend, serve their bans in La Liga and are available for the Champions League.
At the attacking end, Kylian Mbappe has already scored nine goals this Champions League season, seven of them against City.
City enjoy a near full-strength defensive lineup, although John Stones missed the Sunderland match with an unspecified injury. Rising star Rayan Cherki, provider of two assists in that match, hopes to earn his first UCL start.
With Real’s injury-hit backline and inconsistent form, Manchester City will need to fight fire with fire to claim victory in this Champions League showdown.-SportsMole
Today’s fixtures
Villarreal vs Copenhagen
Qarabag vs Ajax
Brugge vs Arsenal
Dortmund vs Bodo/Glimt
B. Leverkusen vs Newcastle
Athletic Bilbao vs PSG
Juventus vs Pafos
Benfica vs Napoli
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The post Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Champions League Classic Set at Bernabeu appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
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