Manchester City vs Real Madrid Matchday Stats Preview

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Matchday Stats Preview 

Manchester City could become just the second team to eliminate Real Madrid from the knockout stages of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League in consecutive seasons, after Milan in 1988-89 (semi-finals) and 1989-90 (round of 16).

Manchester City have won each of their last three home games against Real Madrid, all of which have been under Pep Guardiola in the UEFA Champions League (2-1 in 2020, 4-3 in 2022 and 4-0 in 2023). The only previous manager to win four consecutive home games against Real Madrid in the competition is Ottmar Hitzfeld, who did so in charge of FC Bayern München between 2000 and 2002 (4).

The last five meetings between Manchester City and Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League have produced 23 goals, at an average of 4.6 per game. In two of the five games, the opening goal has been scored inside the opening two minutes of play (1:34 by Kevin De Bruyne in April 2022 and 1:49 by Bernardo Silva in this season’s first leg).

This will be the eighth time that Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have faced each other in the UEFA Champions League, and the sixth while in charge of their current clubs Manchester City and Real Madrid. The only pairs of managers who have faced each other on more than eight occasions in the competition are Alex Ferguson & Ottmar Hitzfeld and Carlo Ancelotti & Jürgen Klopp (nine times each).

Real Madrid have only progressed from two of their previous 10 UEFA Champions League knockout stage ties after failing to win the first leg at home. Both of the times they’ve managed to progress in that scenario in the second leg were against Manchester United (1999-2000 quarter-finals and 2012-13 round of 16).

This will be Manchester City’s 200th match in European competition, while their 113 wins to date is precisely the same number Real Madrid had in their first 200 such games. Should the Citizens win this, they will have the fourth-most wins through their first 200 European matches, after Ajax (118), Juventus (115) and Liverpool (114).

Real Madrid have trailed on the scoreboard for the least amount of time of any team in the UEFA Champions League this season (43:48). Indeed, despite falling behind on two separate occasions in the first leg against Manchester City, they were only behind for a total of 18 minutes in the match.

Phil Foden has scored in each of his last five starts in the UEFA Champions League (five goals); the joint-longest run by a Manchester City player in the competition, along with Sergio Agüero (Feb 2018-March 2019).

Bernardo Silva has netted four goals in seven games against Real Madrid – against sides he’s faced 5+ times as a Manchester City player, only versus Watford (115) does he have a better minutes per goal ratio than he does against los Blancos (144).

Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos has completed 95% of his passes under high intensity pressure in the UEFA Champions League this season (259/273); the most of any midfielder in the competition. Indeed, Kroos only failed to complete one of his 23 passes made under high intensity pressure in the first leg against Manchester City (96% - 22/23).