Preview: Real Madrid vs Manchester City Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds | UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first leg

The Cityzens have already defeated Los Blancos once this season.

Real Madrid are all set to battle it out against Manchester City for their first leg round of 16 fixture of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League. This is going to be a high-stakes contest between these clubs and is scheduled to take place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Despite being at home, the Spanish and European giants Real Madrid will be under pressure. They will miss out on some important players due to injuries.

Los Blancos have been very inconsistent with their performances in their last few games. Alvaro Arbeloa’s men must use the home conditions to their advantage. Anyhow it is going to be a tough outing for them.

💪 @Ferland_Mendy🦅 @FedeeValverde pic.twitter.com/S8GYnHY7J8

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 8, 2026

Manchester City have already outplayed Real at the Bernabeu once this season and will be looking to achieve a similar result once again. The Pep Guardiola-led side were knocked out by Los Blancos from the UEFA Champions League last season.

They will be eager for revenge. Even though they will be away from home, the Cityzens are going to come up with confidence due to their current run of positive form.

Kick-off:

• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
• Date: Thursday, March 12
• Kick-off Time: 01:30 a.m. IST (Wednesday, Mar 11; 08:00 p.m. GMT/ 03:00 p.m. ET/ 12:00 p.m. PT)
• Referee: Maurizio Mariani
• VAR: In use

Form:

Real Madrid: W-L-W-L-W

Man City: W-W-W-D-W

Players to Watch

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

The 25-year-old will be looking to step up his game so that he can help the struggling Real Madrid stand a chance against the Cityzens. In the possible absence of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior is going to be an important aspect of the squad for Los Blancos. In 10 UEFA Champions League appearances this season, he has scored three goals and has four assists.

7⃣✨ pic.twitter.com/SMJn3VqomN

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 7, 2026

Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City)

Antoine Semenyo is going to be one of the main men in the final third for Manchester City. He is in decent form for his side at the moment and could turn out to be a constant threat to the opponent’s defence. The 26-year-old is yet to score a goal in the ongoing season of the UCL, but he is still going to be a threat to the hosts.

Match Facts

• Real Madrid have won three of their last five matches.
• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last five fixtures.
• Los Blancos have defeated the Cityzens three times in their last five meetings.

Real Madrid vs Man City: Betting Tips and Odds

• Manchester City to win @21/20 BetFred
• Erling Haaland to score @10/11 SkyBet
• Goals under 3.5 @3/5 BetMGM

Injury and Team News

Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Alvaro Carreras and Dani Ceballos are not going to be in action for Real Madrid. They are injured. As per some reports, Kylian Mbappe is likely to return early from his knee injury.

Manchester City will miss out on the services of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic. They are injured. Max Alleyne is likely to sit out due to a lack of fitness.

Head-to-Head

Total matches: 15

Real Madrid won: 6

Man City won: 5

Draws: 4

Predicted Lineups

Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-4-2)

Courtois (GK); Trent, Huijsen, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Guler, Tchouaméni, Camavinga; Vini Jr., Garcia

Man City predicted lineup (4-1-3-2)

Donnarumma (GK); Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri; Semenyo, Silva, Cherki; Haaland, Marmoush

Match Prediction

Neither of these clubs will be willing to back down and are going to put up an intense show. Manchester City are likely to come out on top to outshine Real Madrid in their upcoming round of 16 contest of the UEFA Champions League.

Prediction: Real Madrid 1-2 Man City

Telecast Details

India: SonyLIV, Sony Sports Network

UK: TNT Sports, BBC

US: Paramount+, TUDN

Nigeria: DAZN

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