Jose Mourinho has overseen a distinctly indifferent start to his side's La Liga campaign, with Real Madrid having won only 1 of their opening 4 fixtures. They are already 8 points behind Barcelona and will need to turn things round soon.
They have no injury worries for the visit of Man City, and could field the same XI that lost to Sevilla at the weekend, though Karim Benzema is likely to come in up front in place of Gonzalo Higuain.
Angel Di Maria had a poor game, so Modric, Kaka and Callejon will all be pushing for a starting place
Roberto Mancini has no new injury concerns ahead of his side's trip to the Bernabeu, and look set to recall Sergio Aguero the the starting XI. The Argentine returned to training on Friday and there was talk that he might have been fit to play at Stoke. He did not feature in that game, though, and will be better off for this game as a result.
Gareth Barry made his return to first team action from the bench at the Brittania, and he is in competition with goalscoring debutant Javi Garcia for the central midfield spot alongside Yaya Toure.
Richards is still out and Zabaleta has a knock which could keep him out of the side, meaning Maicon could start at right-back again.
At left-back, Clichy played the whole game at Stoke, and it is anyone's guess whether Mancini will stick with the Frenchman or bring in Kolarov, who will be fresh having not featured at the Brittania.
Prediction
With their domestic campaign having started so badly, Real Madrid would have been hoping for a little reprieve in the Champions League, but they certainly won't get any here, with Premier League champions Manchester City coming to play. Real will be favourites given their European pedigree, but City will give them a run for their money.
City come to the Bernabeu off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw at Stoke at the weekend, but a few of their first team players were rested and will be fresh to start here. They may not see as much of the ball as they are used to in league matches, but they will create chances and look to expose a shaky Real backline.
Billed as a battle of the tacticians, Jose Mourinho takes on Roberto Mancini, and it will be extremely interesting to see how both sides' tactics differ to those that they usually play. Mourinho is always likely to spring a surprise, and particularly given recent results, there could be some unexpected players on the pitch come kick off.
This should be a great game between two teams that play fantastic attacking football, and will be a great watch, though the Spanish champions' experience could just be the difference.
Both clubs aren't really "on form", so it'll come to the mentality of the players and, of course, some individuals to make the difference. Real's formation might be a bit more stable than City's, but there's a sense of no trust inside the Madrid club after the loss against Seville, so they might lose concentration on the pitch and perhaps play for the wrong reasons against City. I think there's a bit of balance between City not finding still their perfect formation with the new signings, and the misunderstanding confusion inside the Madrid's management.
Think you're all in for a disappointment. 1-1 at best but think it will be a 1-0 home win and more of a tactical game than an entertaining one with lots of goals
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Infamous
34 weeks ago
+6
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footballgod
34 weeks ago
+2
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szati1984
34 weeks ago
+2
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AndreyNosatii
35 weeks ago
+2
-3
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LessBlues
35 weeks ago
+2
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footballgod
35 weeks ago
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Daddy
35 weeks ago
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Kybler
35 weeks ago
+4
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Radoslav_Rashkov
35 weeks ago
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Dave
35 weeks ago
+3
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See all 19 commentsWatching Mourinho do the slide: priceless!!!
What a game!!!
thank you! I won!agüero subtitute....
Man City will win or draw !
I see this Man city lineup, and I don't exactly see how they can manage Alonso and Khedira. Yaya has to be massive?
@Daddy Under 3.5!
Im confused about this. People give me some ideas about the best bets pleaseeeee.
Both clubs aren't really "on form", so it'll come to the mentality of the players and, of course, some individuals to make the difference. Real's formation might be a bit more stable than City's, but there's a sense of no trust inside the Madrid club after the loss against Seville, so they might lose concentration on the pitch and perhaps play for the wrong reasons against City. I think there's a bit of balance between City not finding still their perfect formation with the new signings, and the misunderstanding confusion inside the Madrid's management.
I think R.Madrid will win 2:1.
Think you're all in for a disappointment. 1-1 at best but think it will be a 1-0 home win and more of a tactical game than an entertaining one with lots of goals