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Rarely do record 15-time winners Real Madrid enter a Champions League clash as underdogs but this is the situation when Manchester City visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
With key attackers Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes set to miss the game injured and Alvaro Arbeloa’s team in inconsistent form, the Premier League side are firm favourites in the last 16 tie.
Man City beat Madrid in the league phase in the Spanish capital and have strengthened since then, with Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi arriving, while midfielder Rodri is fit after missing that match during a long-term injury absence.
Xabi Alonso was at Madrid’s helm then. But his successor Arbeloa has not got the team playing with more quality or consistency.
Perhaps his biggest success has been helping winger Vinicius Junior back to form, and the Brazilian represents Real Madrid’s best hope of success against City.
The winger was key in Madrid’s triumph over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica in the play-off round, despite allegedly being racially abused in the first leg by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denies it.
Vinicius said he had felt “a little tired” after beating Celta Vigo in La Liga on Friday, with the team leaning on him over the past few matches. By contrast Man City coach Pep Guardiola rested Manchester City striker Erling Haaland for his team’s FA Cup win over Newcastle at the weekend.
In the past Madrid have shown grit to get through Champions League ties when they have been outplayed and they will likely need to find that resolve again.
They needed a deflected 95th-minute goal from Fede Valverde to scrape their 2-1 win over Celta.
Arbeloa was asked what his team’s approach was, as it was not particularly clear from their flat performance.
The same will be true on Wednesday, by any means necessary.
Arbeloa called on Madrid’s supporters, who have been critical of their own players at times this season, to inspire the team against City.
There has been some speculation that Madrid’s top scorer Mbappe, who hit a hat-trick last season against City in the play-off round, could make a surprise return on Wednesday.
However, Spanish newspaper AS reports both he and Bellingham are targeting a potential return in the second leg.
Madrid have problems elsewhere with defenders Eder Militao and Alvaro Carreras and midfielder Dani Ceballos sidelined, and David Alaba also doubtful.
Guardiola may look to exploit Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive frailty now the England international has begun to start more regularly. Celta got in behind the former Liverpool right-back to open the scoring last week.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s Champions League action sees Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea meet for the first time since last year’s Club World Cup final.
Premier League leaders Arsenal, who have never been crowned European champions, remain on track for four trophies this season as they chase their first major silverware since 2020.
Mikel Arteta’s men won all eight matches in the league phase to cruise into the last 16, where success against Leverkusen will set up a tie against Bodo/Glimt or Sporting.
Central defender William Saliba has missed Arsenal’s past two matches with an ankle issue but could be back here.
Currently sixth in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen are still rebuilding after a tumultuous summer in which they lost coach Xabi Alonso and several players including Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and new Gunner Piero Hincapie.
Remarkably, Leverkusen’s win against Olympiacos in the play-off round was their first victory in a Champions League knockout tie since 2002, when they reached the final before losing to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid.
PSG are wobbling as the reigning European champions put their title on the line against Chelsea in the first meeting of the teams since the London side won 3-0 in last July’s Club World Cup final.
Luis Enrique’s PSG edged past Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in the play-off round and lost to the principality side on Friday as their lead at the top of the French table from Lens was cut to one point.
The Parisians are a long way off the scintillating form they showed in the second half of last season, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele one of several players struggling for fitness — he is expected to be available here, however.
Agencies
