Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu, for the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie. Both heavyweights are desperate to secure a first-leg advantage before the series shifts to England for the decisive return match next week.
The Spanish giants reached this stage after overcoming Benfica with a 3–1 aggregate victory in the knockout play-off round. Meanwhile, Manchester City secured their place by finishing as one of the top eight teams during the league phase, exempting them from the previous play-off round.
While Pep Guardiola’s team enters as slight favorite, Real Madrid will rely on the legendary Bernabeu atmosphere to overcome a challenging injury list that includes Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
