Man City vs Real Madrid: Champions League – team news, start and lineups

Man City vs Real Madrid: Champions League – team news, start and lineupsFifteen-time winners Real Madrid travel to Manchester with a quarterfinal spot up for grabs in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase.Published On 16 Mar 2026Who: Manchester-city" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3536" data-entity-type="organization">Manchester City vs Real Madrid What: Champions League last 16, second leg Where: Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England When: Tuesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.Facing down the barrel of UEFA Champions League elimination, Manchester-city" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3536" data-entity-type="organization">Manchester City host Real Madrid just six days after the Spanish giants administered a clinical 3-0 battering of the former Premier League champs in their opening leg of the round of 16 tie at the Bernabeu.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Tennis: Sabalenka ends Indian Wells hoodoo with epic victory over Rybakinalist 2 of 4Manchester United beat Aston Villa 3-1 to tighten hold on third placelist 3 of 4Iran says captain of women’s football team withdraws Australia asylum bidlist 4 of 4Spain vs Argentina ‘Finalissima’ match in Qatar cancelled because of warend of listFor Pep Guardiola’s side, it was a night to forget, and City will have it all to do in front of their home fans at Etihad Stadium in the deciding second leg if they want to avoid a repeat of last season’s knockout phase exit at the hands of Los Blancos.Real Madrid’s hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals will be further bolstered by the likely return to action of superstar Kylian Mbappe, who will travel with the team to Manchester for Tuesday’s crucial clash.What happened in the last-16 first-leg clash between Real and City?Federico Valverde struck the first ⁠hat-trick of ⁠his career as Real Madrid swept aside Manchester-city" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="3536" data-entity-type="organization">Manchester City 3-0 in the opener, leaving the Premier League side with ⁠a daunting goal deficit before the return leg.For the Uruguay international – in the absence of injured stars Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo – it was undoubtedly the standout moment of his Real career as he obliterated the short-lived City challenge with goals in the 20th, 27th and 42nd minutes.Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, second from left, celebrates his hat-trick against Man City during the last 16 first leg at the Bernabeu in Madrid on March 11, 2026 [AFP]How did Real Madrid perform in La Liga on the weekend?Turkish international Arda Guler scored what must be a strong contender for goal of the season when he audaciously thumped a 65-metre (71-yard) screamer from his own half, and Valverde capped an excellent week with another fine strike as Real Madrid thrashed Elche 4-1 on Saturday in La Liga.