The Champions League is preparing for a new classic this Wednesday and it is not a Real Madrid – Barcelona. In the first leg of the round of 16, the white team receives Manchester Cityat 9:00 p.m. at the Santiago Bernabéu.
It is the classic of this century, since they have faced each other more times than any other pair of rivals in recent years. After the double confrontation in the 2013 group stage and the 2016 semifinals, the arrival of Pep Guardiola The English bench marked a before and after: six confrontations including the current one in the last seven years.
A classic of the modern Champions League
In addition, since 2022 they have occurred consecutively in double-round qualifying rounds. Before, City won in the round of 16 of the season 2019-2020behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. After that, the only overall – and overwhelming – victory for the team led by Guardiola occurred in the 2022-2023which would end with Manchester City becoming champions.
The 2021-2022 saw one Madrid’s epic comeback in added time of the second leg, in the semifinals on the way to the Champions 14. In the quarterfinals of the 2023-2024 was decided by penalties at the Etihad Stadium, leaving in the first leg at the Bernabéu a ode to football with a 3-3 spectacular.
Both have left duels to remember in the retina. Perhaps last season was the most uneven tie due to the clarity with which Madrid passed, but then Manchester City was another. This season has been renewed with a strong economic commitment -500 million- and keeping others as Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland in its best version and Spanish Rodri Hernandez.
He Ballon d’Or 2024 He has gone through an ordeal of muscle injuries this season due to his thigh, but he has found the necessary continuity so far in 2026 and has regained his role as one of the fundamental pieces of the team. In terms of casualties, Guardiola can consider himself lucky compared to Alvaro Arbeloa.
A Madrid depleted by losses against the City squad
The Santpedor coach cannot count on the defender at the moment Guardiola not even with the midfielder Matthew Kovacicbut they are low, which they more than cover with a frightening breadth of staff. On the other hand, Madrid is running out of space in the infirmary and has two of its most emblematic players as Kylian Mbappé y Jude Bellingham treating themselves with doctors from their country to at least reach the second leg.
The two of them are added Military, Alaba, Camavinga y Ceballos. Against this backdrop, Arbeloa has already made several youth players debut, some even as a starter, in the case of the midfielder. Thiago Pitarchwho could repeat this Tuesday due to the absence of teammates on the line.
The hope of the youth footballers, recovering the best version – or similar – of Vinicius and victories based on courage like the recent one in the League against Celtabreaking a streak of two consecutive defeats in the regularity tournament, have so far been the only positive thing since the arrival of Arbeloa to the bench, who in just a month and a half has seen his options to avoid another blank season reduced.
In the League, Madrid briefly regained the lead, but ended up losing it thanks to those two defeats; fell eliminated in Copa del Rey by a Second Division team, Albacete, and in the Champions League he lost his privileged position within the ‘top 8’. Manchester City is also second in the Premierchasing a Arsenal which seems intractable this season, but giving the sensation of going from less to more and aspiring to a ‘poker’ of titles.
As a Real Madrid fan said, Jorge Valdanofootball is a state of mind. And in that sense, Madrid is not the best of the possible states to face Manchester City. They will have to appeal to the magic of the Bernabéu and recover that character that the Champions gives them to aspire to another miracle.
