Jude Bellingham delivered a 92nd-minute winner as Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-2 in a typically dramatic Champions League clash between the two sides.
Erling Haaland broke his duck against Real Madrid with a brace but it was not enough for even a draw, as Brahim Diaz equalised against his former club with four minutes of normal time remaining, and Bellingham then slid in to turn the ball into an empty net and leave City stunned at the Etihad Stadium. The Norwegian had failed to find the net in four previous appearances against Real, but opened the scoring in this Champions League play-off tie after Josko Gvardiol chested the ball into his path.
That lead remained until the hour mark, when Kylian Mbappe’s scuffed volley looped into the far corner, a deserved equalised for Real after they had wasted a string of presentable chances. Haaland restored the advantage from the penalty spot and City were within touching distance of taking a lead into the second leg at the Bernabeu, but Diaz and Bellingham had other ideas.
Man City vs Real Madrid latest news
GOAL! Bellingham snatches last-gasp victory
GOAL! Diaz levels against his former club
GOAL! Haaland restores lead with penalty
GOAL! Mbappe levels for Real Madrid
GOAL! Haaland puts Man City in front
Player of the match goes to...
22:11 , Matt Verri
Vinicius Junior!
He had every touch booed early on, but the Brazilian has the last laugh at the Etihad.
Bellingham snatches victory!
22:01 , Matt Verri
How often do Real Madrid find a way in the Champions League?
Not sure what Ederson was doing. Left himself stranded, and Vinicius and Bellingham took full advantage.
FT: Man City 2-3 Real Madrid
21:54 , Matt Verri
And there’s the full-time whistle!
Man City have somehow collapsed to lose that match, Real Madrid now in pole position to reach the last-16.
GOAL! Man City 2-3 Real Madrid | Jude Bellingham 90+2'
21:53 , Matt Verri
OR NOT - BELLINGHAM WINS IT!
Madness. Vinicius beats Lewis to the ball and he’s in, Ederson is off his line and Vinicius loops it over him... Bellingham there to tap it into the empty net.
Man City 2-2 Real Madrid
21:51 , Matt Verri
90+1 mins: Three minutes added on.
Looks like this one will be all level after the first leg...
Man City 2-2 Real Madrid
21:50 , Matt Verri
89 mins: Bellingham goes down and looks stunned at the referee as no whistle follows.
Man City defence looks rattled after that goal - need to be very careful.
GOAL! Man City 2-2 Real Madrid | Brahim Diaz 86'
21:47 , Matt Verri
INSTANT IMPACT!
Diaz doesn’t celebrate but he has equalised against his former club!
Ederson’s poor kick gifts possession to Real and they are on the front foot.
Vinicius’ shot is parried straight into Diaz’s path, and he does the rest.
Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
21:44 , Matt Verri
84 mins: Gundogan and Marmoush introduced for Man City, as De Bruyne and Savinho make way.
There’s a Real change in there too. Diaz replaces Rodrgyo.
Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
21:42 , Matt Verri
82 mins: Modric is on for Ceballos.
Will be interesting to see how these final 10 minutes play out. This result isn’t disastrous for Real, heading to the Bernabeu.
GOAL! Man City 2-1 Real Madrid | Erling Haaland 80'
21:40 , Matt Verri
HAALAND RESTORES THE LEAD!
He waited a long time for a goal against Real Madrid - now he has too.
Sends Courtois the wrong way and rolls the spot-kick into the bottom corner.
21:39 , Matt Verri
Foden is still down, he looks in a lot of pain.
Penalty decision will stands. Only question was whether it was inside the area, and it just about was.
Foden now back up, but limping a fair bit.
PENALTY MAN CITY!
21:37 , Matt Verri
Penalty!
Foden dances his way into the box, he goes down... referee points to the spot!
Real players, unsurprisingly, don’t agree.
Ceballos did clatter into him, but was it in the box?
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:35 , Matt Verri
74 mins: After that strong Real spell, City have got a bit more control now.
Question for them is how much they want to risk pushing for a winner, and leave space for that Real front four on the counter.
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:31 , Matt Verri
71 mins: Lovely ball from Bernardo, slid through to Lewis who has got in behind.
He smacks it into the six-yard box, ball just bounces off Haaland and there’s no time for him to react. Rolls behind for a goal-kick.
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:29 , Matt Verri
69 mins: Savinho’s cross is charged down, City corner.
De Bruyne with the in-swinger, but it’s too close to Courtois and he strolls off his line to claim.
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:27 , Matt Verri
66 mins: City have gone back to being a mess at the back.
Ball into the box is somehow allowed to run all the way through to Bellingham, and only a sensational Ederson save denies him.
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:24 , Matt Verri
63 mins: Inches wide!
Mbappe away down the left, his low cross into the middle is knocked on by Savinho into the path of Valverde.
Running onto it, drilled towards the far corner... so close to finding the back of the net.
Man City 1-1 Real Madrid
21:23 , Matt Verri
62 mins: Kovacic is on for Ake, so Stones drops back into defence.
Onus is on City to force things now - Real will be delighted taking this result back to Spain.
GOAL! Man City 1-1 Real Madrid | Kylian Mbappe 60'
21:21 , Matt Verri
REAL ARE LEVEL!
Valverde’s free-kick is straight into the wall, but Ceballos clips in a cross.
Mbappe completely scuffs the acrobatic volley, but it works out perfectly. Loops into the far corner.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:19 , Matt Verri
58 mins: Bernardo leaves a leg out and Ceballos is only too happy to go over it.
Free-kick for Real in a really dangerous position, 25 yards out.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:18 , Matt Verri
57 mins: Real are really pushing for an equaliser.
Mbappe has space to run into, Gvardiol forced into a last-ditch which he times perfectly. Had to.
Lewis then gets the better of Vinicius for the first time on the other flank.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:15 , Matt Verri
54 mins: Rodrygo this time glides into the box and his cut back picks out Mbappe, who forces Ederson into a smart stop at the near post.
Vinicius beats Lewis again, has to settle for a corner.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:13 , Matt Verri
52 mins: Vinicius has his first run at Lewis - it’s not even close.
Ball knocked past Lewis as Vinicius gets to the byline and crosses it in. Bellingham free in the middle, but he sends the header wide. Real chance.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:10 , Matt Verri
49 mins: Rodrygo free on the right, Ceballos goes for the big switch out to him, but Savinho sees it coming and gets back really well.
At the other end, Gvardiol’s strike from distance is deflected and bobbles wide.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
21:06 , Matt Verri
46 mins: Off the bar inside 30 seconds!
Haaland in space on the box, works it onto his left foot and the deflected strike loops up and bounces off the bar.
Courtois gave up on that early.
Back underway!
21:05 , Matt Verri
Up and running in the second-half.
Another Man City change - Lewis is on for Akanji at right-back.
Big, big chances
21:01 , Matt Verri
Real Madrid could have scored three goals in the first 15 minutes or so.
This one was a huge moment - just took so long to get the shot away.
How City took the lead...
20:53 , Matt Verri
Grealish with the ball over the top, Gvardiol chests it down... Haaland does the rest.
Four minutes later, VAR confirmed it as a goal.
HT: Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:50 , Matt Verri
Real Madrid started the half well, finished it well... but Man City lead.
Erling Haaland’s goal the difference at half-time.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:48 , Matt Verri
45+3 mins: Huuuuuge chance.
Rodrygo rolls the ball into Mbappe’s path, but his first-time finish is wild.
Ancelotti throws his arms up in disgust.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:46 , Matt Verri
45 mins: Four minutes added on.
We’ll hold VAR entirely responsible for that.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:42 , Matt Verri
42 mins: But it doesn’t take much...
Rodrygo should play Vinicius in, but it’s a really poor pass. Vinicius has to settle for winning a corner.
First ball in isn’t great, and Real are then forced to turn all the way back.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:40 , Matt Verri
40 mins: The hosts look full of confidence as they dominate possession. That early Real threat has dropped right off.
Patient from City, Real have everyone deep behind the ball. First real lull in the match we’ve had.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:37 , Matt Verri
37 mins: City well on top in these last few minutes.
It’s another great ball in from the corner, Akanji flicks on a header and it’s off the top of the bar!
Not far away at all from a second goal for the hosts.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:35 , Matt Verri
35 mins: Foden picked out by Ake and he’s allowed to cut inside onto his left foot.
Hammers a strike at goal, Courtois forced into a really good save. Just about parried it out enough to stop Savinho following up on the rebound.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:33 , Matt Verri
33 mins: Asencio with the classic ‘running towards your corner flag, going nowhere, flop to the ground and hope for the best’.
It works, linesman helps him out by giving the free-kick.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:29 , Matt Verri
30 mins: City are going to be forced into an early change.
Grealish has gone down off the ball and Foden is getting ready to come on. This is going to be the end of Grealish’s night.
Not a bad option to have off the bench.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:28 , Matt Verri
28 mins: Superb switch out to Vinicius, who is still being booed at every opportunity. City fans sticking to their task.
Ceballos then gets bored and tries his luck from miles out. Would be better for Real if that doesn’t happen again.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:25 , Matt Verri
25 mins: Off the bar!
Vinicius seems to have nowhere to go, but he digs a shot out, it takes a deflection off Akanji and smacks against the bar!
From the resulting corner, Rodrygo beats De Bruyne brilliantly, but the scuffed shot is blocked.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:24 , Matt Verri
24 mins: De Bruyne is in behind, not really who City want to be there.
He has the pace to get into the box, but not enough to get away from Asencio. Centre-back slides in and times it perfectly.
Corner is swung in right on top of Courtois, comfortably claimed.
Man City 1-0 Real Madrid
20:22 , Matt Verri
It’s been nearly four minutes since Haaland scored - everyone still just looking at each other.
Referee calls over De Bruyne for a chat.
And at long, long last, the goal stands!
20:20 , Matt Verri
Fairly lengthy check for VAR. If it’s taking this long in Europe, it would be three weeks in the Premier League.
Still we wait...
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Real Madrid | Erling Haaland 19'
20:18 , Matt Verri
OUT OF NOTHING!
Haaland has his first ever goal against Real Madrid!
So simple. Grealish clips a ball over the top, Gvardiol chests it down and Haaland is there to provide the composed finish.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:16 , Matt Verri
16 mins: Savinho skips away from Ceballos like he isn’t there, the threat from City is coming out wide. Doesn’t come to anything.
And now Real threaten to break, but Rodrygo’s pass doesn’t find Mbappe this time. Frenchman was charging through the middle.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:14 , Matt Verri
14 mins: Ake pokes the ball away, just as Vinicius looked set to run clean through again. It’s 0-0 going on 5-0.
At the other end, Grealish gives City a breather by winning a corner.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:12 , Matt Verri
12 mins: SHOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
Mendy is through now, lays it off for Vinicius. He should shoot, but instead rolls it back to Mendy.
Goalkeeper nowhere, Mendy still takes an age and then eventually decides he should probably shoot. Ake makes a goal-saving block.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:11 , Matt Verri
11 mins: Real are starting to come alive.
Lovely flick from Vinicius, pass then sets Mbappe clean through on goal.
Tries to drill it across the face of goal, but Ederson gets down to make the save.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:09 , Matt Verri
9 mins: City very, very lucky!
Vinicius is in behind, he knocks the ball past Ederson and goes down... referee points to the penalty spot.
But he then looks over and sees the offside flag is up. Vinicius was just beyond the last man.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:09 , Matt Verri
8 mins: Ball in behind for Mbappe to run after, Dias just about stays on the right side of legal with the shirt-pulling to slow him down.
Mbappe managed to snap his laces in the process, but finding a new pair of boots for him seems to be proving a struggle.
Fairly sure that’s someone’s job...
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:05 , Matt Verri
5 mins: City fans booing every touch Vinicius has, as the Ballon d’Or fun and games continue.
It’s been a good start from the home side, plenty of pressure on the Real players when they don’t have the ball.
Visitors carrying such a threat on the break, though. Only need one mistake from City and they’ll be away.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:03 , Matt Verri
3 mins: De Bruyne whips it in with pace, Haaland is there at the near post but Valverde gets in front to flick it behind for a corner.
This taken by De Bruyne too - another great ball in. Real scramble it away and Bellingham then leads the counter.
Mbappe finds Vinicius, who pings it perfectly... to Bernardo.
Man City 0-0 Real Madrid
20:01 , Matt Verri
2 mins: Grealish goes on his first run forward, nice and positive. Rodrygo gets across and shoves him over.
First free-kick won by Grealish tonight - I would suggest it won’t be the last.
KICK-OFF!
20:00 , Matt Verri
Up and running!
Strap yourselves in.
Here we go!
19:57 , Matt Verri
Teams are out onto the pitch at the Etihad.
“Stop crying your heart out” is the huge banner behind one of the goals, with a picture of Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or trophy.
1-0.
Guardiola explains decision to start Grealish
19:50 , Matt Verri
The Man City boss says: “Jack had to compete with our others wingers in recent weeks but today for the game that we want to play I chose him.
“Just because I decide to choose the other ones it does not mean that I am against one guy or the other.
"There are players that give you something that you require for certain games, and it is what I saw in the training sessions and many other things."
One match down...
19:44 , Matt Verri
We’ve had our first match in the new Champions League knockout play-off round.
PSG have beaten Brest 3-0 away from home - not too much of a stretch to say they are pretty much in the last-16 now.
The small matters of Liverpool or Barcelona waiting for the winner of that tie.
Tough route to final!
19:38 , Matt Verri
The winner of this tie will face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16.
Beyond that, it will be a quarter-final clash against one of Arsenal, AC Milan, Juventus or PSV.
Real Madrid or Man City are going to have work very hard to win the Champions League this season!
Not a lot of sympathy...
19:28 , Matt Verri
It would be fair to say Pep Guardiola is not feeling hugely sorry for Carlo Ancelotti, who said Real Madrid have an “emergency in defence”.
In the building!
19:15 , Matt Verri
The Real Madrid players have arrived at the Etihad...
Pre-match thoughts from De Bruyne
19:04 , Matt Verri
Kevin De Bruyne starts tonight and he has been speaking ahead of kick-off.
He’s told that no player has been involved in more goals against Real Madrid in this competition than him.
“I just try to do my job - if I can contribute helping, scoring and all this stuff, it’s a good thing,” De Bruyne says.
“We need to have a good performance first and then hopefully we can do the rest.”
Guardiola shuffles pack
18:54 , Matt Verri
Interesting team selection from Pep Guardiola.
A lot of centre-backs in the team - looks like it will be John Stones as the holding midfielder, with Manuel Akanji at right-back up against Vinicius Jr. Best of luck.
Jack Grealish and Savinho get the nod out wide, Kevin De Bruyne is fit to start and Erling Haaland returns after his FA Cup rest.
Man City team news
18:46 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Stones, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Savinho, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ortega, Marmoush, Kovacic, Doku, Nico, Gundogan, Nunes, Khusanov, Foden, O'Reilly, Lewis, McAtee
Guardiola: Man City players have something special
18:29
Pep Guardiola admitted Man City are still not at their “stable” best this season, but urged his players to produce something special against Real Madrid tonight.
“We are where we are, and I know perfectly but the team has something special and hopefully tomorrow we can prove it,” Guardiola said.
“I will not deny how I trust with the players who gave us that incredible decade, winning a lot of things and playing a high standard, I know what we are capable of.
“We play the second game away because we were not good in the group stage - when you finish 22nd you cannot ask for any favours.
“In football you have to deserve it - we do not deserve it. We were not even close. That’s why when the draw was either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, I thought that is what we deserve.
We have not been stable this season. We achieved Trebles and quadruples and we see how difficult it is. It is because we were a machine. Doesn’t matter what happened, we were there.
“We have many cases in the nine years I have been here where we suffer but always, we came back.”
Big night under the lights
18:21 , Matt Verri
All is calm at the Etihad with just over 90 minutes to go until kick-off.
We could be looking at some serious glove-wearing numbers tonight...
Defensive reshuffle for visitors
18:12 , Matt Verri
Federico Valverde at right-back tonight, with Aurelien Tchouameni in the centre of defence as Carlo Ancelotti deals with a number of injury problems.
It means Dani Ceballos starts in midfield, but there’s no surprises in front of him.
Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr all start.
Real Madrid team news
18:02 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Courtois, Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy, Camavinga, Ceballos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vini Jr.
Subs: Lunin, Modric, Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Garcia, Brahim, Gonzalo, Ramon, Chema, Aguado
Last time they met...
17:53 , Matt Verri
It’s rarely boring when these two are involved.
Last season, it went all the way to a penalty shootout in the quarter-final tie.
Ederson stepped up to take a spot-kick and score, but Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both missed, setting the stage for Antonio Rudiger to seal victory.
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Play-off fixtures in full
17:30 , Matt Verri
Fair to say Man City have paid the price for limping through much of their Champions League campaign this season.
They’ve been given the toughest possible draw.
Bayern Munich go up against Celtic, while it’s an all-French clash between Brest and PSG.
Knockout phase play-off round draw in full:
Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain
Monaco vs Benfica
Juventus vs PSV
Feyenoord vs AC Milan
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Celtic vs Bayern Munich
Club Brugge vs Atalanta
Sporting CP vs Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid take in Etihad surroundings
16:26 , Matt Verri
Plenty of the squad have played at the Etihad before, but the Real Madrid players trained at the stadium last night.
It finished 1-1 when these sides met last season in Manchester, as Real then won the penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals on their way to lifting the trophy once again.
No resentment over Ballon d'Or snub, says Pep
14:20 , Alex Young
Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City harbour no ill feeling towards Real Madrid over their Ballon d'Or boycott as the sides prepare to renew their rivalry.
Madrid's representatives failed to attend the ceremony to crown the world's best player last year after apparently hearing in advance that City's Rodri had won it ahead of their own prime candidate Vinicius Junior.
"Absolutely not," said City manager Guardiola when asked at his pre-match press conference if any resentment lingered.
"I was happy for Rodri but Vinicius made an extraordinary year as well. He could deserve it, like in the past when (Lionel) Messi and Cristiano (Ronaldo) were fighting for it. So, the subject is over."
Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the matter at his pre-match press conference on Monday evening, and remained supportive of the club's decision to boycott.
"I don't think it was the wrong decision," the Italian said. "We thought that Vini was the winner of the Ballon d'Or that year.
"It doesn't mean we don't respect Rodri, because he is a fantastic player. I think we thought that Rodri deserved to win the year before."
Latest match odds
11:14 , Alex Young
Real Madrid are the favourites to reach the Champions League knockout stage proper, according to the bookies.
First-leg bets
To qualify
Man City: 21/20
Real Madrid: 3/4
(Odds via Betfair, subject to change.)
Why Man City see themselves in Real Madrid as they bid to keep season alive
09:21 , Alex Young
Four times in four seasons now, Real Madrid and Manchester City have met in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and on each of the last three the victors have gone on to lift the trophy. Whoever comes out on top this time, though, will still have some way to go to keep that streak alive.
What had evidently become an exercise in early coronation has tonight been relegated to the novelty of a Champions League hinterland, a play-off stage somewhere between where you were and where you’re trying to get to, Uefa’s Didcot Parkway, if you will.
The kings of Europe and the champions of England meet as, by Swiss adjudication, only the continent’s 11th and 22nd best teams. In City’s case, in particular, that assessment looks kind.
Man City ready to get Real, again
07:14 , Alex Young
Manchester City and Real Madrid have become regular foes at the business end of the Champions League in recent seasons, but only one will reach the knockout stages proper.
It is the fifth time City have been paired with Real in a knockout tie during Pep Guardiola's tenure - and the fourth year in succession.
City have prevailed twice, most memorably in the semi-finals en route to their eventual victory in the competition two years ago, with Real winning the other two, including in last year's quarter-finals.
Guardiola's side have found themselves in the play-off round after an underwhelming league phase in which they limped into 22nd place.
"We deserve to be where we are. The draw is the draw and we accept the challenge," the City boss said.
"But always in this type of draw and competition, I am so optimistic and calm. We'll see what happens.
"I will not deny the trust with the players that gave us the incredible decade to play at the high standards I know we're capable of."
Carlo Ancelotti reveals who he expects to win this year's Champions League
Monday 10 February 2025 23:04 , Jonathan Gorrie
Carlo Ancelotti expects the winners of the Champions League to emerge from the new 'Clasico' between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
The two European heavyweights have clashed in the latter stages of the competition in the last three seasons - with the victor going on to lift the trophy - and they meet again in this year's play-off round.
Standard Sport prediction
Monday 10 February 2025 19:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It may be the fourth consecutive season in which Man City and Real Madrid have faced off in the Champions League, but that doesn’t make this clash any less special.
If the previous meetings are anything to go by then goals are to be expected. Looking at Real Madrid’s depleted defence, it’s hard to see them keeping a clean sheet.
At the same time, they’ve got more than enough in attack to punish City in transition. Tough to pick a winner in the first-leg, so let’s go with a thrilling draw to set up the return fixture nicely.
2-2 draw
Early Real Madrid team news
Monday 10 February 2025 16:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Real Madrid have suffered yet another injury blow ahead of their Champions League clash against Manchester City.
Madrid’s defensive woes have been well documented all season. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao both sustained campaign-ending knee injuries so will play no part at the Etihad Stadium.
Worryingly for Carlo Ancelotti, the situation is showing little signs of improvement. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba have since joined Carvajal and Militao on the sidelines and have not recovered in time for the Man City clash.
Furthermore, Lucas Vazquez has been ruled out after sustaining a hamstring injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid.
Early Man City team news
Monday 10 February 2025 14:08 , Matt Verri
Pep Guardiola is hopeful of having Nico Gonzalez available for selection.
Gonzalez, who arrived from Porto on transfer deadline day, made his Man City debut against Leyton Orient at the weekend. However, the midfielder was forced off after just 22 minutes.
When asked after the match for an update on the Spaniard’s availability vs Real Madrid, the Man City boss revealed: “I hope so. The kick was strong in this area. We have a few days, we will see.”
Gonzalez is eligible for the play-off tie as he along with fellow January signings Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush have been added to Man City's updated Champions League squad.
Vitor Reis is ineligible however, but Guardiola hopes defensive John Stones and Ruben Dias are over the injury issues that have disrupted their seasons.
How to watch Man City vs Real Madrid
Monday 10 February 2025 10:59 , Matt Verri
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video. Coverage starts at 6.30pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Amazon Prime Video website or app.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us!
Good morning!
Monday 10 February 2025 09:38 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Man City vs Real Madrid!
It’s a massive Champions League tie in the play-off round, between two sides who were among the big favourites before a ball was kicked this season.
City have plenty to prove after a poor campaign, though, and it is the defending champions Real who will be confident of progressing.
We’ll have all the build-up and team news right here before full coverage of the match, which kicks off at 8pm GMT tomorrow night at the Etihad Stadium.