No rest. There is no room for rest in Real Madrid‘s schedule and, after drawing in the derby against Atlético de Madrid and further tightening their lead at the top of the table, there is no time to think too much and it is already time to head to Manchester to face Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs. A key match for the future of the Whites in their favorite competition in which they hope to achieve the best result to finish off in the second leg next Wednesday the 19th at the Santiago Bernabéu.
A City-Madrid duel that has become a European Classic or, as Guardiola pointed out, a derby. However, just 9 years ago, they had not crossed paths in any knockout tie. The first time they met in a knockout tie was in the 2015-16 season in a Champions League semi-final, which was decided by a solitary goal from Bale and would end up being the eleventh.
They would not face each other again until the 2020 round of 16, and City ended up winning. Since then, they have faced each other in four of the five seasons that followed. In the most recent of these, 2023-24, the Madrid team qualified in a penalty shoot-out.
Now they will face each other in the round of 32, with one of them being eliminated in the round of 16. This would be the first time for Real Madrid since the Champions League took on its current format back in 1992, and the second time for City, after being drawn in the same group in the 2011-12 season. An early final.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid: date, time and where the match will be played
The first leg of the Champions League round of 32, in which Real Madrid will face Manchester City, will take place on Tuesday, February 11 at 21:00 at the Etihad Stadium.
Where can I watch the match?
- TV channels:
- Spain: Movistar Champions League
- Mexico: –
- United States: TUDN
- Argentina: ESPN
- Online streaming:
- Spain: Movistar Plus+
- Mexico: Max
- United States: Paramount+, ViX
- Argentina and the rest of South America: Disney+