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It won’t be an exaggeration to say the UEFA Champions League’s quarter-final stage will host a clash bigger than the competition’s actual final on Tuesday. 14x European champions Real Madrid takes on the defending champions Manchester City in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. This is the fourth straight time the Spanish powerhouse is meeting the reigning English champions at the UCL knockouts. The last time the two fared, Madrid had walked into an ambush, losing 4-0 on the second leg on the road. Similar to this year, in 2023, the Bernabeu hosted City in the first leg. The hosts settled for a 1-1 draw before the forgetful defeat.

Both Madrid and City are in top form heading into the UCL QF. Los Blancos are unbeaten for 13 straight games across competitions. However, their UCL Ro16 games against RB Leipzig were not up to the mark, as they registered a narrow 2-1 aggregate win. City is on a two-game winning streak in the English Premier League. In the UCL Ro16, Pep Guardiola‘s men put up a remarkable performance ousting Copenhagen with a 6-2 aggregate scoreline.

Besides, the match will see former teammates Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham lock horns for the third time in the UCL. Their first meeting ended in a goalless draw. But the next time, Haaland’s City outclassed Bellingham’s Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in 2022. Now that the UCL QF is bringing together these contemporary heavyweights, Bellingham must be looking to settle a score!

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Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Injuries and expected lineups

Real Madrid injuries

Carlo Ancelotti’s side has star defender David Alaba on their injury list. Alaba tore his cruciate ligament last December and is expected to return only in July. Besides, trusted goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will also miss Madrid’s City game due to a meniscus tear. Madrid’s previously injured midfielder Dani Ceballos trained with his teammates last week.

Real Madrid expected starting XI

(4-3-1-2) Andriy Lunin; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Hernandez, Ferland Mendy; Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos; Jude Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo Goes

via Reuters

Manchester City injuries

Man City’s ace defender Josko Gvardiol was called off during the recent PL tie against Crystal Palace after he experienced physical discomfort. It is uncertain if he will feature against Madrid. Besides, City skipper Kyle Walker is also expected to miss out on the headline UCL tie due to a leg muscle injury. City’s Nathan Ake is also nursing a calf injury he contracted during the Arsenal game. He will miss the game against Ancelotti and Co. Meanwhile, reports hint that the City goalie Ederson has recovered from his injury and will start on Tuesday.

via Reuters

Manchester City expected starting XI

(4-3-3) Ederson; Rico Lewis, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji; Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne; Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden

Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Head-to-head

Real Madrid and Manchester City have faced each other 10 times in the UEFA Champions League. Madrid has won thrice and drawn thrice in those meetings. Man City has the upper hand with four wins against the 14-time champions.

Madrid vs City: Prediction

We would undoubtedly witness a tightly fought match at the Bernabeu. However, considering that City has a larger injury list and Madrid is on a three-game winning streak with 10 goals, we expect the latter to fare better. We predict Real Madrid to win 2-1 against City.

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Where to watch the heavyweight European clash?

The Madrid-City tie will kick off on Tuesday at 3:00 PM ET/ 12 PM PT. Fans can catch the match live on Fubo and Paramount+, TUDN.com, ViX, TUDN USA, TUDN App, and UniMás.

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Tell us your predictions for the game in the comments below.