For the second season in succession – and the third time overall – Real Madrid and Manchester City meet in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals with the stage set for another epic tie.
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The Spanish side have won both previous contests on their way to claiming the trophy, beating City 1-0 on aggregate in 2015/16 and edging through a spectacular tie 6-5 on aggregate after extra time 12 months ago.
Madrid are in the last four for the third season in a row; this is their third successive semi-final against English opponents. City have also reached this stage for the third consecutive campaign and fourth overall, but have only gone on to the final once, in 2021.
Madrid have beaten City's domestic rivals Liverpool and Chelsea in this season's knockout rounds, while the English side eased past German clubs Leipzig and Bayern München to get this far.
Both clubs are the reigning champions of their respective countries.
Previous meetings
The teams produced a semi-final for the ages in last season's UEFA Champions League, a thrilling first leg at the City of Manchester Stadium finishing 4-3 to Pep Guardiola's home side. Early goals from Kevin De Bruyne (2) and Gabriel Jesus (11) put City in charge, but Karim Benzema (33) halved the visitors' deficit before the break. Phil Foden (53) restored the two-goal cushion only for Vinícius Júnior (55) to pull one back almost immediately and Madrid stayed in the contest despite Bernardo Silva's 74th-minute strike, Benzema chipping in from the penalty spot with eight minutes to go after Aymeric Laporte had been penalised for handball.
That looked immaterial when Riyad Mahrez extended City's aggregate advantage 73 minutes into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, and Madrid looked to be heading out as they still trailed by two goals entering the final minute only for Rodrygo (90, 90+1) to score twice in 90 seconds and force extra time. Five minutes into the first additional period, Benzema was fouled by Rúben Dias and converted the penalty himself to send Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid through in remarkable fashion.
Guardiola's City were 2-1 winners in both legs against Zinédine Zidane's Madrid in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League round of 16 despite falling behind in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu on 26 February when Isco gave the home side a 60th-minute lead. Late goals from Jesus (78) and De Bruyne (83), the latter a penalty after Raheem Sterling had been fouled by Dani Carvajal, turned the game around, Madrid ending with ten men as captain Sergio Ramos was dismissed four minutes from time after fouling Jesus.
That was City's first victory against Madrid but they clinched their aggregate win with a second in the delayed second leg in Manchester on 7 August. Although Sterling's ninth-minute goal was levelled 19 minutes later by Benzema, Jesus secured another 2-1 victory in the 68th minute.
There was only one goal in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League semi-final between the clubs. After the first game in Manchester ended scoreless, a 20th-minute own goal from Fernando at the Santiago Bernabéu proved enough to take Zidane's Madrid into the final, where they beat Atlético on penalties, at the expense of Manuel Pellegrini's City.
The sides' only other competitive fixtures came in the 2012/13 group stage, when Madrid twice came from behind to win 3-2 in Spain on Matchday 1. City led twice through Edin Džeko (68) and Aleksandar Kolarov (85) but Madrid responded through Marcelo (76) and Benzema (87) before Cristiano Ronaldo snatched a 90th-minute victory.
It was 1-1 in Manchester, Sergio Agüero's penalty cancelling out Benzema's tenth-minute strike. Madrid ended with ten men as Álvaro Arbeloa collected a second yellow card in fouling Agüero to concede that spot kick.
Those four points helped José Mourinho's Madrid finish second in Group D, behind Borussia Dortmund; City, then managed by Roberto Mancini, ended bottom with three points having not won a game.
Form guide
Real Madrid
This is Madrid's 32nd European Cup semi-final, with the record W17 L14:
- 1955/56 AC Milan W 5-4 (4-2 h, 1-2 a)
- 1956/57 Manchester United W 5-3 (3-1 h, 2-2 a)
- 1957/58 Vasas W 4-2 (4-0 h, 0-2 a)
- 1958/59 Atlético de Madrid W 2-1 replay (2-1 h, 0-1 a)
- 1959/60 Barcelona W 6-2 (3-1 h, 3-1 a)
- 1961/62 Standard Liège W 6-0 (4-0 h, 2-0 a)
- 1963/64 Zürich W 8-1 (2-1 a, 6-0 h)
- 1965/66 Inter W 2-1 (1-0 h, 1-1 a)
- 1967/68 Manchester United L 3-4 (0-1 a, 3-3 h)
- 1972 73 Ajax L 1-3 (1-2 a, 0-1 h)
- 1975/76 Bayern München L 1-3 (1-1 h, 0-2 a)
- 1979/80 Hamburg L 3-5 (2-0 h, 1-5 a)
- 1980/81 Inter W 2-1 (2-0 h, 0-1 a)
- 1986/87 Bayern München L 2-4 (1-4 a, 1-0 h)
- 1987/88 PSV Eindhoven L 1-1 away goals (1-1 h, 0-0 a)
- 1988/89 AC Milan L 1-6 (1-1 h, 0-5 a)
- 1997/98 Borussia Dortmund W 2-0 (2-0 h, 0-0 a)
- 1999/00 Bayern München W 3-2 (2-0 h, 1-2 a)
- 2000/01 Bayern München L 1-3 (0-1 h, 1-2 a)
- 2001/02 Barcelona W 3-1 (2-0 a, 1-1 h)
- 2002/03 Juventus L 3-4 (2-1 h, 1-3 a)
- 2010/11 Barcelona L 1-3 (0-2 h, 1-1 a)
- 2011/12 Bayern München, L 1-3 on penalties (1-2 a, 2-1 h)
- 2012/13 Borussia Dortmund L 3-4 (1-4 a, 2-0 h)
- 2013/14 Bayern München W 5-0 (1-0 h, 4-0 a)
- 2014/15 Juventus L 2-3 (1-2 a, 1-1 h)
- 2015/16 Manchester City W 1-0 (0-0 a, 1-0 h)
- 2016/17 Atlético de Madrid W 4-2 (3-0 h, 1-2 a)
- 2017/18 Bayern München W 4-3 (2-1 a, 2-2 h)
- 2020/21 Chelsea L 1-3 (1-1 h, 0-2 a)
2021/22 Manchester City W 6-5 (3-4 a, 3-1 h aet)
Last season was the first time Madrid had come from behind to win a European Cup semi-final after losing the first leg, home or away. They had been eliminated on all eight previous occasions.
Madrid have won four of their last five semi-final ties, having been beaten in five of the previous six.
This is Madrid's 16th appearance in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, a competition record, four more than Barcelona and Bayern.
This is Madrid's 27th UEFA Champions League campaign, a record they share with Barcelona – and an unrivalled 26th in a row. All 27 have extended into the knockout rounds.
Madrid claimed their 14th European Cup in 2021/22. Ancelotti's side had finished first in Group D on 15 points, winning five of their six games, before dramatic knockout wins against Paris Saint-Germain (0-1 a, 3-1 h), holders Chelsea (3-1 a, 2-3 h aet) and City led to a 1-0 final defeat of Liverpool.
That made Ancelotti the first coach to win four European Cups; he had been level with Bob Paisley and Zidane on three. The Italian is also the only coach to have taken a team to five finals.
Benzema, Carvajal and Luka Modric all equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of appearing in five UEFA Champions League final victories.
Benzema was top scorer in the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League on 15 goals; ten came in the knockout rounds, equalling Ronaldo's record in 2016/17, also for Madrid.
Madrid were also Spanish champions in 2021/22, their 35th Liga title overall and a second in three years. It was only the fourth time they had won the league and the European Cup in the same season, after 1956/57, 1957/58 and 2016/17.
Ancelotti's side have already claimed European silverware this season, goals from David Alaba and Benzema earning a 2-0 victory against UEFA Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup in Helsinki on 10 August. It was Madrid's fifth Super Cup victory, equalling the competition record of AC Milan and Barcelona.
Madrid also won the FIFA Club World Cup for the fifth time in February, beating Al Ahly of Egypt 4-1 in the semi-final before a 5-3 defeat of Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, Vinícius Júnior and Federico Valverde both scoring twice and Benzema once.
The holders won their first three games in this season's UEFA Champions League, at Celtic (3-0) and at home to Leipzig (2-0) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1), but took only one point from their next two before finishing with a 5-1 home victory against the Scottish champions.
Madrid were again paired with Liverpool in the round of 16, a 5-2 first-leg win at Anfield – the first time they had scored five goals in successive UEFA Champions League matches since 1998 – preceding a 1-0 home win.
They were then reunited with Chelsea in the quarter-finals for the second year running, easing through after winning 2-0 both home and away.
The Spanish side have won 14 of their last 23 home European games (D3 L6) and 13 of the most recent 16 (D1 L2).
Benzema, who scored three times in the round of 16 against Liverpool and once in the first leg against Chelsea, has 20 goals in 27 UEFA Champions League games against English clubs, his largest tally against opposition from a single nation, including seven last season to overtake his 15 goals against German sides. His first-leg goals against Liverpool were his first of this season's competition. The Frenchman has scored 14 goals in his last ten knockout phase matches.
Benzema has equalled Lionel Messi's record of having scored in 18 consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League and is the first player to score in 19 successive calendar years in the competition (2005–2023).
Madrid's record against English clubs is now W24 D13 L16.
Madrid's record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is W13 L6. This season's wins against Liverpool and Chelsea made it eight aggregate victories in the last ten, although their last two UEFA Champions League eliminations have both been by Premier League opponents – Chelsea in the 2020/21 semi-finals and City in the 2019/20 round of 16.
Including the 2021/22 final, this is the eighth time Madrid have been paired with English opposition in their last nine UEFA Champions League knockout ties, and the sixth in a row.
The second-leg loss to Chelsea in last season's quarter-finals is one of only four Madrid have suffered at home to English clubs; their record otherwise is W12 D7, although they had managed just one win in five games against English visitors in Madrid (D2 L2) before beating City last season; they have now won the last three.
Manchester City
City's record in European Cup semi-finals is W1 L2:
- 2015/16 Real Madrid L 0-1 (0-0 h, 0-1 a)
- 2020/21 Paris Saint-Germain W 4-1 (2-1 a, 2-0 h)
- 2021/22 Real Madrid L 5-6 (4-3 h, 1-3 a aet)
Only eight clubs have made more UEFA Champions League semi-final appearances than City.
The Manchester club have played in two other UEFA competition semi-finals, both in the European Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Schalke in 1969/70 (0-1 a, 5-1 h) but lost to Chelsea at the same stage the following season (0-1 a, 0-1 h).
This is City's 12th UEFA Champions League campaign, all in succession; they have featured every season from 2011/12 onwards.
Including this season, the Manchester club's last ten campaigns have all stretched into the knockout rounds, their best performance coming in 2020/21 when they reached a first European Cup final only to lose 1-0 to fellow English side Chelsea in Porto.
In 2021/22, City finished first in Group A on 12 points, one ahead of Paris, having won four of their six games. They then beat Sporting CP (5-0 a, 0-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (1-0 h, 0-0 a) but were eliminated by eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
This season the Manchester club scored 11 goals in winning their first three games, sealing qualification with a goalless draw at Copenhagen on Matchday 4. They were also held 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their next fixture before a 3-1 home victory against Sevilla.
Guardiola's side have now finished first in their UEFA Champions League group for six successive seasons.
City drew 1-1 at Leipzig in the round of 16 first leg before a record-equalling 7-0 home win in the return, in which Erling Haaland scored five goals – only the third player to do so in the UEFA Champions League. That was City's joint biggest European victory.
Bayern were then beaten 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final, City going through thanks to a 1-1 second-leg draw in Germany.
Haaland scored in both legs against Bayern to take his tally to 12 goals in this season's UEFA Champions League, cementing his place as the competition's leading scorer.
City are level with eliminated Napoli on 26 goals as the 2022/23 competition's joint top-scoring team – one more than Madrid.
City won their fourth Premier League title in five seasons in 2021/22, the club's eighth league title overall – and sixth since 2011/12.
The Cityzens have won 15 of their last 28 away European matches (D8 L5).
City won 4-0 at Sevilla on Matchday 1 this season, only their fourth victory in their 14 visits to Spain (D2 L8). Overall, their record against Spanish clubs is W12 D5 L10, with victories in seven of their last nine matches (D1 L1).
The 2-1 victory at Real Madrid in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg is City's only knockout win in their eight games away to a Spanish club (D2 L5).
Last season's defeat by Madrid made City's record against Spanish clubs in two-legged knockout ties W3 L5, their 2019/20 success against the Merengues having ended a run of four successive defeats. That win against Madrid was also their first aggregate victory against Liga opponents in the UEFA Champions League, having twice lost to Barcelona in the round of 16, in both 2013/14 (1-4 aggregate) and 2014/15 (1-3 agg), and Madrid in the 2015/16 semi-finals.