Isn’t this exactly what they wanted?When they, in their snobbish manner, from their royal pedestal, demanded to compete only with “their equals”. How did they put it again? “Matches between ‘small’ teams don’t interest anyone”… Arrogant enough to become the symbol of a rebellion against a competition they had won six times in the past decade—often with a tailwind of controversial refereeing decisions. And yet, they used that very example as an argument for their initiative: “In 122 years of football, English clubs have visited us only 22 times.”Haaland: 47 goals, 47 games Mbappé: 51 goals, 81 games #UCL pic.twitter.com/O1SmHiHbGR— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 10, 2025 Well, here they are now!Isn’t this exactly what they deserved?If they enter the final round of the new competition format sitting in 25th place and still squeeze through the needle’s eye—should they perhaps have an easier path?This duel has already become a “must-have” in the Champions League knockout stages—by some, the greatest European classic of the decade—because for the fourth consecutive season, and the fifth time in the last six, these two teams will eliminate each other. But for the first time, it will happen this early—in February. Moreover, if Manchester City fails to advance, this will be their first absence from the Round of 16 since 2013. If Real Madrid is eliminated, it will be the first time since 1997 that they are not among Europe’s Top 16!Manchester City have played Real Madrid 11 times, winning by an aggregate score of 20-17. 👀 City have won 4 games, Real Madrid 3 and there have been 4 draws. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/zDGMuoWLiz— mcfc lads (@mcfc_lads) February 11, 2025 Every knockout clash between these teams—five of them since 2016—has been a classic in its own right. And, almost symmetrically, the clubs have alternated in overall victories. In the past three seasons, the team that advanced from their duel went on to lift the trophy. Looking back, last season Real advanced on penalties, the season before they suffered a collapse at the Etihad (0:4), where they barely managed to cross the halfway line, and a year before that, in the return leg, they miraculously forced extra time with two goals from Rodrygo in stoppage time…Madrid has two bosses! Giants from the capital share spoils in a classicIt seems that both teams have more to lose than to gain from this matchup. For City, this is their last chance to salvage a season in which they almost certainly won’t win the Premier League for a fifth consecutive time. Real Madrid, despite leading La Liga, is feeling Barcelona and Girona breathing down their necks. A season where they have already suffered two crushing defeats to Barça could turn into a disaster if they also get knocked out of Europe—one that even a domestic double crown might not redeem.The reigning European champion will face an English team for the tenth time in the last 14 Champions League knockout rounds, or the eighth time in the previous 11. Manchester City is unbeaten in 35 consecutive home matches in Europe and has lost only one of its last 14 encounters against Spanish teams. However, this season’s numbers are quite telling.Rescue-oriented: Man City come from behind to top charming third-tier sideThey have failed to hold onto a lead nine times; for the first time in 115 games, they lost a match in which they had a two-goal advantage; they have conceded four or more goals in a single match on four occasions; in total, they have conceded 54 goals in 37 games—almost as many as last season in 59 matches; and just the other day, they struggled against lower-league side Leyton Orient…“We are where we are. This team has something special, and I hope they will show it. I won’t deny how much I believe in these players who have given us an incredible decade. I know what we’re capable of. Both teams have dealt with injuries, but Real has managed them better than we have. At the end of the day, we all know that Real Madrid is the ultimate competitor. We’ve faced them many times and understand that they’re at their best when it matters most. To advance, we’ll need two great performances. They have a fantastic front four (Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinícius, and Rodrygo). It’s impossible to control players like that all the time. They’re exceptional, everyone knows it: their combinations, runs, 1v1s, ball retention… We’ll try to limit their impact on the game.” Pep Guardiola stated in his preview.PEP 💬 We have not been consistent. What has defined us in recent years is we have been an incredible machine. We can perform well tomorrow and we can perform well in Madrid. pic.twitter.com/awzziHGRcL— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 10, 2025 This rivalry between Guardiola and Real Madrid is perhaps the biggest personal feud between a manager and a club. It dates back to his Barcelona days (9 wins in 15 matches), through the Bayern Munich disaster in the 2014 semi-finals, and now continues in these epic City clashes.Meanwhile, his rivalry with Carlo Ancelotti is unique in that it has been mostly cultivated in the Champions League. They only overlapped in the same domestic league for a season and a half, when Ancelotti’s Everton was routinely dismantled by City.8 – Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have faced each other on eight occasions in the UEFA Champions League. Who are the only two pairs of managers who’ve faced each other more times in the #UCL (9)? Quiz. pic.twitter.com/dqib7Us8LJ— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 31, 2025 Ancelotti acknowledges Guardiola’s influence:“Guardiola has contributed enormously to football—in attack, possession, pressing… He is an innovator whom I greatly respect. Every time we face each other, it’s a nightmare to prepare for these matches. He always comes up with ideas that make you think deeply. My head always hurts when we play City. I’m convinced that whoever wins this round will go far in the competition. It’s surprising to meet in the playoff stage. But it’s not UEFA’s fault—it’s ours. This is now a classic—we’ve been clashing in this competition for years. It will be a fun and even battle. It’s impossible to predict. Both teams are at an extremely high level, and we’ll have to deliver our best version. I believe we can be competitive, despite our current defensive crisis.”🎙️ @MrAncelotti 🎙️📺 Rueda de prensa ➡️ RM Play— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 10, 2025 And what a crisis it is—Daniel Carvajal and Eder Militao are out for the season, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are also missing tonight, and Lucas Vazquez has joined them after the Madrid derby. An entire defense gone! So, it looks like Valverde will be forced to play at right-back. But can Aurelien Tchouameni and Raul Asensio handle Erling Haaland?That’s why all eyes will be on Real’s attack, which has already scored 36 goals in 12 matches in 2025. And especially on Kylian Mbappe, who has previously scored at the Etihad—both with PSG and Monaco.Not sure if defense or hospital: Madrid off to Manchester without entire backlineCity’s current issues seem smaller—Ederson, Nathan Ake, and Jeremy Doku trained yesterday, as did Nico Gonzalez, who limped off in Saturday’s FA Cup match. But seem is the key word here, because in the end, it all circles back to Rodri.And back to the beginning: There can be only one.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – PLAYOFFSTuesday 20.45: (7.75) Brest (4.80) PSG (1.40)23.00: (1.92) Juventus (3.45) PSV (4.10)23.00: (2.35) Man.City (3.50) Real Madrid (2.90)23.00: (2.25) Sporting (3.45) Dortmund (3.15)Wednesday20.45: (3.60) Club Brugge (3.40) Atalanta (2.10)23.00: (7.75) Celtic (4.80) Bayern (1.40)23.00: (2.95) Feyenoord (3.45) Milan (2.35)23.00: (2.35) Monaco (3.45) Benfica (2.95)***odds are subject to change***
