Some very good news for City: Nathan Ake is fit to start in a defence that looks much more familiar. In fact Pep Guardiola has picked five defenders, which suggests John Stones will be playing in midfield. Ederson also returns to the side and Jack Grealish starts on the left. Phil Foden is only on the bench. Nico Gonzalez is also among the subs, having recovered from the injury he sustained at Orient. I think that means City are missing only two first-team players, Rodri and Oscar Bobb.
Manchester City (possible 4-1-2-3) Ederson; Akanki, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Stones; Bernardo, De Bruyne; Savinho, Haaland, Grealish. Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Marmoush, Kovacic, Doku, Nico Gonzalez, Gundogan, Nunes, Khusanov, Foden, O’Reilly, Lewis, McAtee. Carlo Ancelotti has picked two midfielders, Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, in the back four. There are two changes from the Madrid derby on Saturday: Eduardo Camavinga replaces the injured Lucas Vazquez, with Valverde moving into Vazquez’s position at right-back, and Ferland Mendy is preferred to Fran Garcia at left-back.
Real Madrid (possible 4-2-1-3) Courtois; Valverde, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Ceballos, Camavinga; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. Substitutes: Lunin, Modric, Arda Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Fran Garcia, Brahim, Gonzalo, Jacobo Ramon, Chema, Lorenzo Aguado. Well well, fancy seeing these two here. Manchester City and Real Madrid usually meet in the later stages of the Champions League, but here they are slumming it in the new playoff round. This, surely, is not what Uefa had in mind when they revamped the Champions League. For neutrals, on the other hand, it’s a mouthwatering prospect, bursting with one of football’s greatest gifts: jeopardy. It’s unthinkable that either City or Madrid will not reach the last 16 of the Champions League. It’s also a certainty.
The last time City failed to make it to the last 16 was in 2012-13, when they were in a group of death with Madrid, Ajax and Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund. The last time Real Madrid failed to do so was in 1996-97, and that was only because they didn’t qualify. The last time they were actually in the European Cup and went out before the last 16 1962-63, Jef Jurion and all that. The injury crisis at both clubs adds to the sense of wildness around this game. Among Pep Guardiola’s many selection dilemmas is who the flip should play right-back against Vinicius Junior and/or Kylian Mbappe.
