When Real Madrid head to Manchester City on St. Patrick’s Day, they’ll do so with a very long injury list. Only two names might come off it on Tuesday night, as Alvaro Carreras and David Alaba (both of whom have calf injuries), could be passed fit to play. Kylian Mbappe continues to battle his chronic, nagging knee problem, and he already missed the first leg of this tie. Basically, he’s been ruled out of the next leg as well. Mbappe should not be risked anyway, as this tie is effectively over anyway.
City Manager Pep Guardiola knows that he faces very long odds of coming back in this tie.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16
Manchester City at Real Madrid Leg 2 of 2
Tie Aggregate: 3-0 Real Madrid lead
Tuesday March 17, 8pm kickoff, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Google Result Probability for 90 Min: Manchester City win 64% Draw 19% Real Madrid win 17%
Team News for Both Sides
Asked on Friday about the chances of his side coming back and winning the UCL round of 16 tie, Guardiola said: “Not much dollars from the bank bet on us (to come back against Real Madrid), so we’ll see on Tuesday.”
While City does have the home field advantage, coming back from 3-0 is still a tall order. In addition to Mbappe, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao (both hamstring) could make comebacks not here in this match, but in the capital city derby next weekend.
Otherwise Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Franco Mastantuono are looking at April returns while Rodrygo is out until next summer/fall.
As for Man City, the team news situation remains unchanged from over the weekend. They are a nearly fully fit squad with Josko Gvardiol and Rico Lewis the only absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.