Real Madrid vs Man City LIVE
Pep Guardiola is back in Spain this evening as his Man City side face Real Madrid in the Champions League. A highly decorated player and manager with Barcelona, he will surely have Catalonian pride coursing through his veins as he walks out at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening - and he has a point to prove, too. City have won just one of their last seven meetings with Los Blancos, losing each of their last three. This means that Real knocked Guardiola’s side out of the Champions League in both of the last two seasons.
Time today, then, for Guardiola to get his own back, and the stars have aligned to do that rather emphatically. With Real mired in second place in La Liga and near-perfect in the Champions League, reports have emerged in Spain claiming manager Xabi Alonso has lost the dressing room and could be on the chopping block should he fail to get a result here.
To send Alonso packing with a big win would certainly represent a moral victory for Guardiola, but he will have to do so without the aid of Rodri or John Stones. Follow the game LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis.
Real Madrid vs Man City latest news
- GOAL! Haaland from the spot
- GOAL! O'Reilly equalises for City
- GOAL! Rodrygo opens scoring
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:55 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it! City win at the Bernabeu!
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:55 , Arthur Ferridge90+4mins: Donnarumma catches Vinicius’ cross, and that should be that...
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:54 , Arthur Ferridge90+3mins: Xabi Alonso cuts a really deflated figure on the touchline. He looks like he knows he might be clearing out his desk come the morning.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:53 , Arthur Ferridge90+2mins: Vinicius puts a smart cross in for Endrick, but he can’t reach it before a City defender. Savinho breaks on the counter and beats Rudiger, but sees his shot blocked by Tchouameni.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:51 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Four minutes have been added on here...
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:51 , Arthur Ferridge89mins: City are pushing to kill this game off now as the frustration seems to have caught up to Real. Silva is booked, though, and will be suspended for City’s trip to face Bodo/Glimt.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:48 , Arthur Ferridge87mins: Rodrygo is booked for kicking the ball away after fouling Nunes.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:46 , Arthur Ferridge85mins: A remarkable save from Donnarumma denies Endrick a crucial equaliser.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:43 , Arthur Ferridge83mins: Silva’s free-kick is poor.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:43 , Arthur Ferridge82mins: Ironically, Guardiola has been booked.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:43 , Arthur Ferridge82mins: Rudiger is lucky to get away without a second yellow after he needlessly clobbers Savinho. Tantalising free-kick for City now.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:42 , Arthur Ferridge81mins: Vinicius misses an open goal! Guler’s corner sails over the box and a totally unmarked Vinicius, for reasons best known to himself, opts for a scissor kick and sends it into Row Z.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:40 , Arthur Ferridge78mins: Alonso rolls the dice one more time as Endrick comes on to make his second appearance of the season, replacing Asencio.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge77mins: HUGE CHANCE! Vinicius heads wide from the edge of the six-yard box.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:38 , Arthur Ferridge77mins: Arda Guler shoots from the free-kick and his effort is headed out by Nunes.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:37 , Arthur Ferridge76mins: O’Reilly trips Valverde on the edge of the City box, and Real have a brilliant chance to equalise from the set piece.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:36 , Arthur Ferridge74mins: Real are having more of the possession now but are struggling for impetus in the final third. Ballingham has a pop from the edge of the box, but his effort is blocked. The same fate befalls the follow-up.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:34 , Arthur Ferridge73mins: Mbappe is still on the bench for Real. Just saying.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:31 , Arthur Ferridge70mins: Three changes for City! Reijnders, Marmoush, and Savinho are on for Haaland, Foden, and Cherki.
That’s Pep looking to kill this game off, then.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:30 , Arthur Ferridge69mins: City are so compact in defence. It looks increasingly like Real will only get a goal here if they can do so on the counter.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:28 , Arthur Ferridge67mins: Brahim Diaz replaces Dani Ceballos for Real.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:27 , Arthur Ferridge66mins: Bellingham tackles Doku to the ground, and it is a great set-piece opportunity for City.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:26 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: Real have broken out the tannoy to try and encourage the fans to start singing again.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:23 , Arthur Ferridge62mins: And that could have been it! Courtois produces another strong save to deny Doku’s bending effort.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:21 , Arthur Ferridge60mins: As it did in the first half, this match is really opening up. A fourth goal cannot be far away.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:20 , Arthur Ferridge59mins: Cherki puts a gorgeous dinked pass into the box for Haaland, but it is just barely out of the Norwegian’s reach. There is a penalty shout in the aftermath but the referee is uninterested.
Real counter through Vinicius, but O’Reilly is first to his through-ball. Brilliant defending.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge59mins: Seems to be Bellingham at striker now!
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:19 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: Changes in the offing for Madrid as Arda Guler replaces Gonzalo.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:17 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: TNT’s broadcast cuts to a shot of the directors’ box, and it is full of stony-faced old Spaniards. That can’t bode well for Xabi.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:16 , Arthur Ferridge54mins: A penny for Xabi Alonso’s thoughts as Real trail here. He will know as well as anyone else that he’s facing the axe if this result holds.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:13 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: Another wonderful save from Courtois after Cherki’s deflected shot. He is just different gravy.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:12 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: Doku plays a lovely cross for Silva but Carreras intercepts and sets Real away on the attack. Bellingham is put through one-on-one with Donnarumma, but he chips over!
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:10 , Arthur Ferridge49mins: Doku dances into the box but his cross is cleared away without issue.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:09 , Arthur Ferridge48mins: Not really sure if there’s much the physios can do to treat that, to be honest, but we’re playing on!
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:09 , Arthur Ferridge47mins: Haaland is down after taking a ball to the crotch. Looks to be in considerable pain, and the ball is kicked out for him to receive treatment.
2ND HALF: Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
21:06 , Arthur FerridgeBack underway! Can Real get back into this, or will City pull away?
Around the grounds
20:54 , Arthur FerridgeQuick check-up on the other Premier League sides in action tonight.
Arsenal lead Club Brugge 1-0 thanks to a piledriver from Noni Madueke - more on that match HERE.
Elsewhere, Newcastle trail Bayer Leverkusen by the same scoreline due to Bruno Guimaraes’ own-goal.
HALF-TIME! Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
20:49 , Arthur FerridgeThere’s the whistle! After going behind to Rodrygo’s opener, City turn it around and lead at half-time.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge45+2mins: There will be three added minutes, by the way.
Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge45+1mins: DOUBLE SAVE FROM COURTOIS! City put in a blistering counter and Courtois does brilliantly to save from Haaland at close range, before Cherki’s follow-up also stings his palms. Stunning.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-2 Man City | Haaland '44
20:44 , Arthur FerridgeHaaland sends Courtois the wrong way and rolls his penalty into the bottom corner.
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:43 , Arthur Ferridge43mins: Rudiger is booked, too.
PENALTY GIVEN! Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:43 , Arthur Ferridge42mins: Penalty to City! Rudiger wrestled Haaland to the ground in the box, and, after checking the monitor, the referee points to the spot.
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:42 , Arthur FerridgeVAR are checking the incident between Haaland and Rudiger...
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:41 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Haaland goes down in the box, but his appeals are waved away.
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:40 , Arthur Ferridge39mins: Can now confirm for you that Rodrygo’s goal was his first since March 4, 2025, when Real beat Atleti 2-1 at the Bernabeu in the Champions League round of 16.
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:39 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: A nice Real team move ends as Bellingham’s dink through for Vinicius is marginally overhit.
Real Madrid 1-1 Man City
20:38 , Arthur Ferridge37mins: It seems we have a match on our hands!
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Man City | O'Reilly '35
20:37 , Arthur FerridgeA first Champions League goal for O’Reilly! Gvardiol heads Cherki’s cross goalwards and demands a good save from Courtois, and O’Reilly is there to sweep up.
Real Madrid 1-0 Man City
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge35mins: Back to the matter at hand as Doku wins a corner from Asencio.
Real Madrid 1-0 Man City
20:35 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: As Cherki lines up a free-kick on the right flank, allow me to indulge you with a statistic. Rodrygo’s opener was his first goal since he scored a brace for Brazil against Korea Republic in early October, and his first for Real this season.
Real Madrid 1-0 Man City
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge31mins: With that said, the Brazilian is back to his feet and seems OK to play on.
Real Madrid 1-0 Man City
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge30mins: Rodrygo has been so good thus far - his goal is richly deserved - but moments later he crumples to the turf and requires treatment. He slipped off the ball and immediately clutched his right hip. That doesn’t look good at all.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Man City | Rodrygo '28
20:29 , Arthur FerridgeRodrygo breaks his drought, and what a time to do it! He streaks into the box and drills one low across goal to open the scoring!
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:28 , Arthur Ferridge27mins: Gonzalo looks to kick off a pacey counter after winning the ball from Foden, but the manner in which he dispossessed the Briton - an uncompromising challenge from behind - is deemed to have overstepped the mark.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:26 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: Rodrygo overhits a cross, but Gonzalo keeps it in on the far side. Real are camped in City’s defensive third and looking threatening, but they are yet to really threaten Donnarumma.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:24 , Arthur Ferridge23mins: At risk of stating the obvious, the longer Real go without scoring, the more likely they are to find themselves trailing. City are growing into this.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: In spite of all their defensive injuries, Real look nice and tight at the back. City get near the box and seem to run out of ideas.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: You get the sense that a goal is on the way for Real. They look so lively here - particularly the wingers Vinicius and Rodrygo.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:19 , Arthur Ferridge18mins: Another free kick for Real after another clumsy tackle from Nunes. Tough start to the match for him. Rudiger nods the cross goalwards but his effort is narrowly wide.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: Another penalty appeal for Vinicius, who thinks there was a handball from Nunes as his cross went behind for a corner. The referee is uninterested and the aforementioned corner is headed well clear by Gvardiol.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:16 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: O’Reilly throws himself into a 50/50 with Valverde and leaves the Uruguayan in a heap. Real play on without him, but their attack comes to nought.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:15 , Arthur Ferridge14mins: The match has settled somewhat after a particularly hectic first few minutes.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge12mins: Gvardiol recovers well after a loose touch opens the door for Rodrygo to go through on goal.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:12 , Arthur Ferridge11mins: Phil Foden goes into the book early for a cynical tackle on Rodrygo, who has looked sharp so far here.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge10mins: These first ten minutes have flown by!
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: Cherki gets the better of Rudiger with a deft feint. He doesn’t go anywhere with the momentum, though.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:09 , Arthur Ferridge8mins: Quite remarkable just how open this match is in the opening exchanges. A first goal cannot be far away.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:08 , Arthur Ferridge7mins: O’Reilly plays a nice cross for Foden, but Carreras cuts it out and sets Rodrygo away. He hits a wonderful cross for Vinicius, who shoots over under pressure from Donnarumma! How is it still 0-0?
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:07 , Arthur Ferridge6mins: If the opening stages are anything to go by, this match is going to be a piece of theatre. Settle in, folks.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: Ceballos’ corner is cleared far too easily and City break, but Doku’s pass is behind Cherki and the pace comes out of the attack.
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:05 , Arthur Ferridge4mins: Rodrygo lays it off for Valverde, whose effort is deflected wide.
Vinicius turned Nunes inside out and the City defender left a foot in as he dashed away.
Good news for City, though. He was outside the box. Just a free-kick.
PENALTY! Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:03 , Arthur Ferridge2mins: What a start! Vinicius Jr wins a penalty!
Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:02 , Arthur Ferridge1min: Doku looks to break to the byline, but Rudiger defends him without much difficulty. Just a fourth appearance of the season for the German.
KICK-OFF! Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
20:01 , Arthur FerridgeHere we go!
This anthem will never get old...
The players are out
19:57 , Arthur FerridgeNearly time to get underway here!
Not long to go now
19:50 , Arthur FerridgeWith ten minutes remaining to kick-off, here’s a reminder of today’s starting lineups.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, Asensio, Rudiger, Carreras, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Gonzalo, Vinicius Jr.
Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo, Foden, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Real Madrid vs Man City head to head
19:45 , Arthur FerridgeThese two sides have shared a storied Champions League rivalry in recent years. Los Blancos dumped City out of the competition in last season’s knock-out play-off, and also sent them packing in the quarter-finals the year before.
Real Madrid wins: 6
Man City wins: 4
Draws: 4
Is Guardiola expecting a City win?
19:44 , Arthur FerridgeAfter his most recent trips to the Bernabeu nothing is given, but he seems confident enough.
"They are good ones and they are tight,” he said of Real.
“Last season we were not able to compete against them.
"Hopefully, this season we can do it well again."
Late goals galore in the early kick-offs
19:39 , Arthur FerridgeAjax are finally off the mark in the Champions League after beating Qarabag. They trailed 2-1 until the 79th minute, but hit three in quick succession to win 4-2 and head home with all three points.
Qualification still looks unlikely for the Dutch legends, but at least they won’t finish the league phase empty-handed.
There was also late drama at Villarreal, as Andreas Cornelius scored in the 90th minute to secure a 3-2 win for Copenhagen.
Drama across the board. Will the theme persist in the 8pm starts?
Vinicius Jr
19:38 , Arthur FerridgeDespite impressing domestically with nine goal contributions in 16 appearances, Vinicius Jr is yet to score in the Champions League this season.
He has a couple of assists, but he will be desperate to break his duck today.
A surprise visitor
19:33 , Arthur FerridgeRodri has travelled with Man City despite not being named to the squad today.
Does that suggest he is close to a return?
Here come the visitors!
19:28 , Arthur FerridgeExpect City to line up in their away strip this evening.
The Blues have arrived! 💪 pic.twitter.com/qPCOtUikmx
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 10, 2025
Haaland needs replacing?
19:27 , Arthur FerridgeErling Haaland has acknowledged that Man City must replace him if the goals dry up.
“I’m the striker of City,” he told Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer on the Rest is Football podcast.
“I have to score goals. If not, they have to replace me. Because if I’m not delivering the goals and the things they need, they have to replace me.
“So there is a lot of pressure on me to deliver and to do the job.”
Look who's back!
19:22 , Arthur FerridgeLaura Woods is back on the sidelines tonight, just over a week after fainting during a broadcast of the Lionesses’ friendly win over Ghana.
Earlier today
19:19 , Arthur FerridgeMan City’s Under-19s did a job in the UEFA Youth League earlier today.
They beat Real Madrid 4-0 this afternoon, thanks in part to a brace from Reigan Heskey.
Bodes well for today’s visitors, eh?
Erling Haaland
19:12 , Arthur FerridgeErling Haaland, by his lofty standards, is in the midst of a barren spell. He has just one goal (and two assists) in his last five outings.
He could do with a good performance tonight to get his form back up to scratch.
With that said, his record in the Champions League this season currently stands at five appearances, five goals. So it's not all bad.
Man City squad
19:03 , Arthur FerridgeThere are no surprises whatsoever in the Man City line-up. It is exactly as expected.
It is always a treat to watch Nico O’Reilly - he has been one of my favourite players in the Premier League this season - but this is a massive test for the youngster.
Real Madrid squad
18:54 , Arthur FerridgeWell, then, Mbappe is only fit enough for the bench at the Bernabeu.
Another interesting shout from Xabi Alonso as Arda Guler drops to the bench.
Would love to see Franco Mastantuono play a role later on tonight, but you wouldn’t think he’d be the first name off the bench.
MAN CITY CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:47 , Arthur FerridgeHere’s Guardiola’s side!
Man City XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo, Foden, Cherki, Doku, Haaland
Subs: Trafford, Bettinelli, Reijnders, Ake, Marmoush, Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Khusanov, Bobb, Lewis
REAL MADRID CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS
18:46 , Arthur FerridgeAlonso’s team selection is in!
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Valverde, asencio, Rudiger, Carreras, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Gonzalo, Vinicius Jr.
Subs: Lunin, Fran Gonzalez, Endrick, Mbappe, Arda Guler, Fran Garcia, Brahim, Cestero, Mastantuono, Joan Martinez, Valdepenas.
What of Jude Bellingham?
18:40 , Arthur FerridgeJude Bellingham sustained a nasty eye injury in Real’s loss to Celta Vigo at the weekend.
He is thought to be fine, though, and is likely to start (line-ups out in a few minutes!).
The big question remains: Is Mbappe fit to start?
When will Rodri return for Man City?
18:35 , Arthur FerridgeIt is hard to say - Pep likes to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to Rodri’s fitness.
The Spaniard did not travel for this match, and it remains entirely unclear when he could return to the fold for City.
Where is Trent?
18:28 , Arthur FerridgeTrent Alexander-Arnold has made a pretty miserable start to life in Madrid. He has not been at his best on the pitch when he has been fit, which has not been often.
After suffering a hamstring injury early in the season, he has now been struck down again.
He has picked up a quad injury, with reports claiming he is set for months on the sidelines.
Is Xabi Alonso really about to get sacked?
18:20 , Arthur FerridgeSeems so.
Reports in Spain which first came from El Mundo Deportivo claim that Real’s executives held an emergency meeting this week, and the board were split as to whether they should stick or twist.
Their conclusion, according to reports? Tonight is all or nothing. Win and stay, lose and go.
From the outside looking in, it isn’t even a particularly bad situation. Real sit second in La Liga despite losing to an avaerage Celta Vigo side at the weekend, and could go top of the Champions League standings with a win tonight.
Other reports add he has lost the dressing room. Real Madrid and player power is, after all, a match made in heaven.
But at the end of the day, Barcelona are top of La Liga, and that simply will not do.
Man City predicted XI
18:12 , Arthur FerridgePredicted Man City XI (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Silva, Nico, Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Doku
Real Madrid predicted XI
18:08 , Arthur FerridgePredicted Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Courtois; Valverde, Rudiger, Carreras, Garcia; Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Nothing quite like a UCL night
18:03 , Arthur FerridgeThis offering from Real Madrid’s social team should get you in the mood, if you aren’t already.
🔥 GANAS DE PARTIDAZO. pic.twitter.com/DJMl9i9iwO
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 10, 2025
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