Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV USA Channel [Watch Live]

UEFA Champions League matches don’t come much bigger than this. It’s Real Madrid vs Manchester City! Two of the biggest clubs in world football going head to head to play for Europe’s biggest prize at the start of the summer. In a re-match of the semi-final last year, Manchester City travel to the Spanish capital for the primary leg. Will Real Madrid seize home advantage or will they falter?

Where to Watch Real Madrid vs Man City Live

Stadium: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (Madrid)

Date: May 9, 2023

Time (US): 12:00 pm PST | 2:00 pm EST

Real Madrid vs Man City Preview

Pep Guardiola has been longing for UEFA Champions League success with Manchester City for what seems an eternity. While the axiom of time has delivered a wealth of domestic success, the Sky Blue Citizens have never lifted this specific trophy. Could this be the season that this all changes? Manchester City has become known for imperious form at the end of seasons. This campaign is no different, having dispensed with league leaders Arsenal 4-1, to make themselves title favorites.

With 14 UEFA Champions League titles, Real Madrid is the most successful team in the competition’s history. This includes winning the 2021/22 final against Liverpool last year, as the team remains to be at the forefront of continental competition. This season hasn’t been a vintage for Los Blancos however. As of late April, the club is more than ten points behind Barcelona in La Liga. However, the club can still win the Copa del Rey and this competition, which would salvage success. Real does have great form going into this fixture, having won five straight UCL matchups against the likes of Celtic, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

Given the prominence of both clubs in the European competition in this era, there have been somewhat frequent meetings between the two clubs. Karim Benzema has displayed a penchant to score against the Citizens with six goals in seven games against Man City. That includes the three he scored across the two legs last year. While the Frenchman hasn’t been as prolific as last season, he’s still scored 14 goals in La Liga making him one of the top performers.

The two managers, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti have had plenty of prior meetings with both men having worked across England and Spain extensively. While the reigning champions might be slight favorites, it’s not a given for the Italian. Across his storied career, he’s seldom defeated Manchester City, losing eight out of the 10 games contested.

Contrastingly, Pep Guardiola has made it a habit to defeat Real Madrid. Firstly establishing dominance in El Classico with Barcelona during the 2000s. This has led to him winning 12 of the 21 games when he’s set up against a Real Madrid outfit. Notably only truly struggling when managing Bayern Munich where his team was handsomely defeated twice.