Real Madrid vs Manchester City Prediction: Who Will Win The UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 Match Today?

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Real Madrid vs Manchester City Prediction: European heavyweights Real Madrid and Manchester City are set to clash for the 16th time in the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Both clubs head into the clash with ambitions of progressing deep into the competition, making this fixture one of the standout ties of the round. This eagerly anticipated fixture will become the first in the competition's history to be played in the knockout stages in five consecutive campaigns.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Team News and Injury Updates

Real Madrid

Injury concerns continue to trouble Real Madrid ahead of Wednesday's clash, with key stars Kylian Mbappe (knee) and Jude Bellingham (hamstring) both expected to miss the match. They join Rodrygo (ACL), Eder Militao (hamstring), Dani Ceballos (calf), and Alvaro Carreras (calf) on the growing injury list.

David Alaba remains a doubt due to a calf issue and will be assessed closer to kickoff. However, Eduardo Camavinga has recovered from a dental problem and is available for selection. Meanwhile, Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono are eligible to return after serving domestic suspensions, though both are unlikely to start.

Camavinga is expected to replace 18-year-old Thiago Pitarch in midfield, partnering Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni in the center of the park. Arda Guler is another option for a central role if he is not deployed on the right wing.

In the attack, Vinicius Junior is expected to start on the left side of the front three. The Brazilian has struggled against City recently, failing to score in his last six meetings with the English champions. However, he has netted 12 of his last 13 UEFA Champions League goals in the second half of matches.

Along with Vinicius, Arbeola is expected to put Gonzalo Garcia in the front line, with Moroccan international Brahim Diaz likely leading the line.

Manchester City

On the other hand, for City, Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture), Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel), and Rico Lewis (ankle) are the only three injury absentees, and Guardiola is set to revert to a strong lineup after making 10 changes against Newcastle last weekend.

Erling Haaland, who was rested in the previous match, has returned to training and is expected to lead the attack. The Norwegian striker boasts an impressive record of 56 goals in 56 UEFA Champions League appearances and has scored 10 goals in his last 10 matches against Spanish teams in the competition, including a penalty he converted at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in December.

Matheus Nunes is set to continue at right-back and test his mettle against Vinicius Jr. The Portuguese international will get assistance from Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, and Rayan Ait-Nouri at the back. In the midfield, Rodri, O'Reilly, and captain Bernardo Silva will most likely be slotted in a three-man attack by Pep Guardiola.

The Manchester City boss has a big call to make over who should start in attack with Haaland and Antoine Semenyo. Omar Marmoush netted a brace against Newcastle, while Savinho was also on the scoresheet last weekend, but they face competition from Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, and Jeremy Doku for a start.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Predicted Lineups

Real Madrid

Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Guler; G. Garcia, Vinicius Jr

Manchester City

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Bernardo, Rodri, O'Reilly; Semenyo, Haaland, Marmoush

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Head-to-Head Record And Last Meeting

• Total Matches: 15
• Real Madrid Wins: 5
• Draws: 5
• Manchester City Wins: 5
• Last Meeting: The last time the two sides met was during the group stage of the Champions League, where City managed to edge past the Los Blancos winning the game 2-1 in Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Recent Form

Real Madrid

Los Blancos will head into the match on the back of a lot of injury concerns, with several key players absent from the lineup. Added to the worries are their topsy-turvy domestic performance in La Liga. While they lost against Getafe, they managed to pull out a win against Celta Vigo. But when it comes to the Champions League, the fifteen-time champions showed their mettle when they pulled off a win against the spirited Benfica side in the two legs of the playoffs.

Manchester City

On the other hand, Manchester City comes into the contest with four wins out of five games, with one game against Nottingham Forest ending in a draw. In the last game, City defeated Newcastle United in the fifth round of the FA Cup. There are hardly any injury concerns in the team, and Guardiola is expected to field a full lineup at Bernabeu.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Match Prediction

The match will be tilted in favour of Manchester City, given the depleted Madrid side. Moreover, Guardiola's side will take a lot of confidence from the last trip that they made to Bernabeu and how things unfolded for his team. Madrid, however, is historically dangerous in the UEFA Champions League and is known for producing dramatic comebacks on their home turf. So, the question is, can lightning strike once again for the Los Blancos at Bernabeu?

Real Madrid vs Manchester City Final Scoreline: 1-2 win for Manchester City