Man City seek revenge for last season’s Champions League heartbreak against Real Madrid

The teams are vying for a place in the final in Istanbul where Inter Milan awaits.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti once again go head-to-head, with City looking to avenge last season’s dramatic 6-5 aggregate semi-final defeat against Los Blancos at the Bernabeu. 

Pep Guardiola’s side claimed a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid last week, with Kevin de Bruyne cancelling out Vinicius Junior’s opener.

City’s red-hot form and home advantage mean they head into the game as slight favourites. But Real Madrid’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti insists his players are up to the challenge.

“Tomorrow, we know that game day very well, and that’s the day when the worries come in and you think things through. Whether (Erling) Haaland is going to score, whether (Kevin) de Bruyne is going to hurt you […] You have to manage your head to think about the positive things and not the negative ones,” Ancelotti told reporters on Tuesday.

Ancelotti is expected to have a full-strength squad to choose from, as the defending champions set their sights on clinching a record-extending 15th Champions League title.

Real and City have faced off eight times, each side winning three games a piece with two draws.