Under the new format of the UEFA Champions League, we kind of figured we’d get at least one match-up, in the playoff round, befitting a final. That definitely came to fruition with Real Madrid visiting Manchester City. In this match-up you have the last three winners of the tournament.
And in Madrid, you have the side with the most titles of all-time (15).
UEFA Champions League Playoff Round FYIs
Real Madrid at Manchester City
Kickoff: Tue. Feb. 11, 8pm, The Etihad, Manchester, UK
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Starting XI Predictions: Manchester City Real Madrid
Google Result Probability Manchester City 42% Draw 25% Real Madrid 33%
However, neither side was able to play well enough this time around, in the opening round stage, to avoid getting placed into this portion of the competition. And in the case of City, they needed a result on the very last day even to make it this far.
In other words, this specific meeting won’t have the luster that you usually find in a match-up between these two giant clubs…but we preview it anyway.
Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction at Manchester City (Champions League)
Thibaut Courtois (GK); Lucas Vazquez, Aurielen Tchouameni, Raul Asencio, Ferland Mendy; Ernesto Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga; Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr.; Kylian Mbappe.
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, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. 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, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.