Big Match Feature: Man City v Real Madrid

Manchester City are in the driving seat in their Uefa Champions League round of 16 tie against 13-time winners Real Madrid as the sides reconvene in north-west England. Catch the action live on SuperSport and live streaming through DStv Now

The home side struck first at the Santiago Bernabéu on 26 February, Isco firing them into the lead on the hour, but the visitors turned the tie in the closing stages.

Gabriel Jesus headed the equaliser before Kevin De Bruyne converted a penalty after Raheem Sterling had been fouled, a late red card for captain Sergio Ramos compounding Madrid's woes as they slipped to their 100th European Cup defeat.

While Madrid are the most successful side in European Cup history, and have reached four of the last six finals, City have got as far as the semifinals only once before, in 2015/16 – losing to Madrid as the Spanish club went on to claim their 11th title.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

There was only one goal in the 2015/16 Uefa Champions League semifinal between the clubs. After the first game in Manchester ended scoreless, a 20th-minute own goal from City's Fernando at the Santiago Bernabéu proved enough to take Madrid into the final, where they beat neighbours Atlético on penalties.

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 Karim Benzema (87) before Cristiano Ronaldo snatched a 90th-minute victory.

It was 1-1 in Manchester, Sergio Agüero's penalty cancelling out Benzema's 10th-minute strike. Madrid ended with 10 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

MANCHESTER CITY

City picked up 14 points in Group C to finish seven clear at the top. At home they beat Dinamo Zagreb (2-0) and Atalanta (5-1) before a six-match Uefa Champions League winning streak at their own stadium ended with a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar on Matchday 5.

City have scored 32 goals in their last 11 Uefa Champions League matches; since losing at home to Lyon on Matchday 1 last season (1-2) their record is W12 D3 L1 with 47 goals scored and 15 conceded.

This is the Citizens' ninth Uefa Champions League campaign and their seventh successive round of 16appearance.

In 2018/19, City brushed aside Schalke 10-2 on aggregate in the last 16, winning 3-2 in Germany and 7-0 at home – their record victory in Uefa club competition. That made City's last-16 aggregate record W3 L3, with wins in their last two ties.

For the second year running City lost to English opposition in the quarterfinals in 2018/19, Tottenham eliminating them on away goals after a dramatic 4-4 aggregate draw (0-1 a, 4-3 h).

Having also gone out to Liverpool in 2017/18 (0-3 a, 1-2 h), City have not lost a two-legged knockout tie to a non-English club since going out on away goals to Monaco in the 2016/17 round of 16 (5-3 h, 1-3 a).

City have therefore won their last two home matches in the Uefa Champions League knockout phase – and three of the last five (L2) – but overall have won only four of their 10 knockout matches in the competition in Manchester (D2 L4). In the round of 16, their home record is W2 D1 L3.

City's record against Spanish clubs in two-legged knockout ties is W1 L4, with defeats in each of the last four. They have twice lost to Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League round of 16, in both 2013/14 (1-4 aggregate) and 2014/15 (1-3).

The Citizens won their first home knockout game against Spanish visitors, defeating Athletic Club 3-0 in the 1969/70 European Cup Winners' Cup first round second leg (6-3 aggregate) but are without a victory in their four subsequent matches (D2 L2). The win in Madrid was only their second knockout victory against Liga opponents, home and away (D3 L6).

City's last home game against a Spanish club brought a 3-1 defeat of Barcelona in the 2016/17 Uefa Champions League group stage, after a 4-0 loss in Spain that remains their heaviest defeat in Uefa competition. Their home record against Spanish sides is W4 D3 L2, both defeats coming against Barcelona.

Josep Guardiola's side have won 13 of their last 22 European matches, home and away, losing six.

Champions of England for the second season running and sixth overall – four of those titles having come in the last eight years – City also lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in 2018/19, becoming the first English club to win all three domestic trophies in one season.

City have never failed to win a European tie after an away first-leg victory. There have been 10 such contests, most recently against Schalke in last season's round of 16 (3-2 a, 7-0 h). They have twice won 2-1 away in the first game, against Omonia in the 2008/09 Uefa Cup first round (2-1 h) and Porto in the 2010/11 Uefa Europa League round of 32 (4-0 h).

City's record in two Uefa penalty shoot-outs is W2 L0:

4-2 v Midtjylland, 2008/09 Uefa Cup second qualifying round

4-3 v Aalborg, 2008/09 Uefa Cup round of 16

REAL MADRID

Zinédine Zidane's side picked up 11 points in this season's group stage, finishing second in Group B behind Paris Saint-Germain, who beat the Spanish side 3-0 in France on Matchday 1. Their other away games brought wins at Galatasaray (1-0) and Club Brugge (3-1).

Rodrygo's hat-trick in the 6-0 home win against Galatasaray on Matchday 4 was the 12th scored by a Real Madrid player in the competition, one fewer than record holders Barcelona. At 18 years 301 days, he was the second youngest Uefa Champions League hat-trick scorer after former Madrid striker Raúl González, who was aged 18 years 113 days when he scored his only treble against Ferencváros in 1995/96.

Madrid have now finished second in their group three times in four seasons.

Last season Madrid did win their section but a team then coached by Santiago Solari won 2-1 at Ajax in the round of 16 first leg only to bow out 5-3 on aggregate after a 4-1 home defeat.

Last season was the first since 2009/10 in which Madrid failed to reach the semifinals or better. Their round of 16 record is W9 L7; they lost at this stage for six years in succession between 2005 and 2010 but had won eight ties in a row before losing to Ajax.

Madrid have won their last seven away matches in the round of 16, since a 1-1 draw at CSKA Moskva in 2011/12; they scored 19 goals in those seven victories, conceding five. Their last round of 16 defeat on the road – and fourth in a row – was against Lyon in 2009/10 (0-1).

Madrid have won 16 of their last 25 European away matches, losing just five.

This is the 13-time champions' 50th European Cup campaign, more than any other side.

Third in Spain in 2018/19, this is Madrid's 24th Uefa Champions League campaign – a joint record along with Barcelona. They have qualified for the knockout rounds in all of their 24 seasons, also a competition best.

Madrid's record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is W8 L4; they have won their last three such contests, most recently that 2016 success against City.

Madrid's last game against an English club before the first leg was a 3-1 defeat of Liverpool in the 2018 Uefa Champions League final in Kyiv, substitute Gareth Bale finding the net twice – including a stunning overhead effort – after Karim Benzema had opened the scoring.

The Merengues' last away game against an English club was a 3-1 defeat by Tottenham in the 2017/18 group stage, ending Madrid's 12-game unbeaten run against Premier League sides (W8 D4). It was their first loss to English opposition since a 4-0 reverse at Liverpool in the 2008/09 Uefa Champions League round of 16 second leg – their record Uefa Champions League defeat.

Madrid's away record against English clubs is W6 D4 L6. They were unbeaten in five trips (W3 D2) before losing at Tottenham.

Madrid have lost the home first leg six times in Uefa competition and won only one tie, recovering from a 1-0 loss with a 2-0 win at Wacker Innsbruck in the 1970/71 European Cup Winners' Cup second round.

Most recently, they lost to Barcelona in the 2010/11 Uefa Champions League semifinals (0-2 h, 1-1 a). They have never previously lost the home first leg 1-2.

Only five times in the Uefa Champions League era has a team turned round a tie after a home first-leg defeat, although three of those occurred in 2018/19; Tottenham against Ajax in the semifinals (0-1 h, 3-2 a) and, in the round of 16, Manchester United against Paris-Saint Germain (0-2 h, 3-1 a) and Ajax against Madrid themselves (1-2 h, 4-1 a).

Madrid's record in four Uefa penalty shoot-outs is W2 L2:

• 5-6 v Crvena zvezda, 1974/75 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal
• 3-1 v Juventus, 1986/87 European Champion Clubs' Cup second round
• 1-3 v Bayern München, 2011/12 Uefa Champions League semifinal
• 5-3 v Atlético Madrid, 2015/16 Uefa Champions League final