Man City vs Real Madrid Champions League semi-final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

Man City and Real Madrid meet in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday 17 May.

Where to watch Man City vs Real Madrid on TV

Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

Advantage City. Maybe. The first leg was more edge-of-the-seat thriller than the all-out-action of last season’s semi-final, when Madrid staged a remarkable second-leg comeback at the Santiago Bernabéu to beat Pep Guardiola’s men 6-5 on aggregate. Crucially, perhaps, this time the second leg takes place at the City of Manchester Stadium, where the home side are on a 14-match unbeaten run with a combined score of 49-7.

By contrast, Madrid have only twice progressed on the nine previous occasions they failed to win the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie at home. Ominously for City, both were in Manchester, against United in 2000 and 2013. Karim Benzema was an unused substitute in 2013, and while he and Erling Haaland were uncharacteristically subdued in Madrid, the attacking talent in both sides could be unleashed this time.

First-leg line-ups*

Man City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Rúben Dias, Akanji; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gündoğan; Bernardo Silva, Haaland, Grealish

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Rüdiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Modrić, Kroos; Valverde; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinícius Júnior

*Predicted line-ups will follow

Form guide

Man City
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWWWWW
Where they stand: 1st in Premier League, FA Cup final

Real Madrid
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWLWLW
Where they stand: 3rd in Liga, Copa del Rey winners

Expert predictions

Matthew Howarth, Man City reporter
A draw was probably a fair result after both sides contributed to an edgy, enthralling and thoroughly entertaining first leg. The game could have gone either way, both goalkeepers pulling off important saves. City will enjoy plenty of possession and opportunities in Manchester, but it will count for nothing unless they can keep the likes of Vinícius Júnior and Benzema quiet at the other end. It’s impossible to tell which way the tie will swing next.

Graham Hunter, Real Madrid reporter
Whether you were Madrid, City or neutral, the first leg will have lit up every sense in your body. Nerve-shredding at times and blessed with utter brilliance at others, it could have been directed by Alfred Hitchcock, such was the tension. Madrid weren’t at their sharpest or most intense, but that goal! From one penalty area to the other in about 12 seconds and one of the greatest goals you’ll ever see. Bring on Manchester.

What the coaches say

Pep Guardiola, Man City manager: “Now it’s like a play-off. We can defend better in some departments and maybe we can attack a little differently. Alaba and Rüdiger were so close to Erling, so there were very few spaces to find. Maybe we can adjust a couple of things.”

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach: “We had good control of the [first leg]. When City had lots of possession we were in control defensively, then when we started to play we caused difficulties.”

Where is the 2023 Champions League final?

Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium will host the final on Saturday 10 June 2023. Real Madrid or Man City will be the designated home team against AC Milan or Inter.

The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.