Real Madrid vs Manchester City live updates: Champions League ...

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was asked about Jude Bellingham after March’s Champions League draw pitted his side against Real Madrid.

“[Bellingham's] impact has been massive,” Guardiola said back then.

“It's a different team from last season. His influence is obvious, and we have to try to discover what he does to control it.

“Facing Real Madrid is always a tough challenge, nobody can deny it. They are an exceptional club, and in this competition they can control many things with the experience they have in the past.”

Carlo Ancelotti faced the press alongside defender Antonio Rudiger, who also expressed surprise at Jude Bellingham’s leadership skills.

“I was surprised because I didn't know him very well, but my goodness! He has a great personality that is already a presence in our squad. He is a very good player,” Rudiger said.

“If you talk to (Bellingham) you get the feeling that he's already experienced everything and he's only 20 years old. I'm not surprised anymore.

“He's going to be a leader, he's very mature, very professional in everything he does. We must pray that he continues to be as healthy as he is. Off the pitch I'm not worried about anything, he has very good parents and a great environment.”

Much of the build-up to today’s game has centered on Jude Bellingham, the England international enjoying a sensational debut season at Real Madrid. And Carlo Ancelotti was keen to single him out for praise ahead of the match.

“He's having a very good season in the penalty box. He's physically very strong and he's helping us a lot in the defensive aspects and up front to create space and provide movement,” Ancelotti said at his pre-match press conference.

“He's very mature. He's only 20 years old, but he's very professional, very serious and humble. He didn't surprise us as a player, but he surprised us as a person, because his head is very mature for his age.”

Do you agree with Pep Guardiola? Are English teams at a disadvantage when it comes to Europe because of the Premier League’s relentless scheduling?

We’d love to hear what you think. Let us know by emailing [email protected].

Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, was less than impressed with his side’s truncated preparation period for today’s game.

Guardiola said after March’s draw: “Madrid have nine days to prepare for our game. Nine days! They play this weekend and then not again until our game - while I am thinking, ‘Oh, just give me one more day!

‌“With one more day the difference is a lot … but there is no chance. That's why, when you ask me about changes to the calendar, I give my opinion - but forget about it. I defend my club and for my club it's really tough playing every three days, three days, three days - and the other clubs don't have that situation.

“In France, PSG don't play between their quarter-final games. In Portugal, they often play on Friday before the Champions League. They (the FA and Premier League ) have their own business and their own decisions.”

Carlo Ancelotti was certainly grateful for the spare eight days his side enjoyed ahead of today’s heavyweight fixture.

He said at his pre-match press conference: “The important thing in (the) game is to get the best we can. The mental aspect is very important, as well as the courage and personality we have to show on the pitch.

“We’ve had time to prepare and we’ve done very well. I'm confident we're going to give our best tomorrow in every way, mentally, physically and technically. We have enough quality to compete.”

One of the interesting quirks of today’s fixture is that Real Madrid have had a lot more time to prepare for it. Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed eight full days to prepare his side. Pep Guardiola has had to make do with two.

Manchester City last played on Saturday at Crystal Palace in the Premier League, coming from behind to win 4-2. Madrid’s last Spanish league match, on the other hand, was on March 31, a comfortable 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.

Madrid didn’t have to play this past weekend as the Spanish calendar was reserved for the Copa del Rey final.

Carlo Ancelotti faced the press yesterday and he was particularly interesting when discussing the differences between his Real Madrid team and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The Italian did concede, however, that the two starting XIs have one thing in common: an abundance of stardust.

“It's a very appealing match,” he said. “Two teams that are not alike are facing each other, as each has their own characteristics, but they are teams with a lot of individual quality on the pitch.”

He added: “Technically speaking, it's going to be a very nice game. We expect to be superior in some aspects and they will be superior in others. We'll see the superiority after 180 minutes. Whoever wins the tie will be the superior team.”

Tonight promises to be a memorable evening for Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian will be taking charge of his 200th Champions League game — having last month recorded his 200th victory as Real Madrid manager.

Ancelotti, 64, already boasts the most Champions League titles (four) as manager, as well as victories (114) in the competition.

“It’s a big achievement,” he said earlier this week. “I remember my first game, it was against Sparta Prague when I was at Parma. Reaching 200 games means a lot. Surviving so many years in football, especially at my age, is a success.”

The world famous Santiago Bernabeu Stadium reopened its doors this season after temporarily closing for a renovation project worth somewhere in the region of £1 billion.

The highlight of all that work is undoubtedly the stadium’s shiny new retractable roof.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti is certainly a fan. “It’s a spectacular atmosphere, there’s something new,” he said earlier this season. “It’s a much more enclosed atmosphere.”

Manchester City have the edge here.

We’ll be delving into all of those former encounters ahead of the game.

In the United Kingdom, the game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 2. Subscribers will also be able to watch on a live stream via the Discovery+ app or website. Coverage starts at 7pm.

In the United States, you can catch the game on Paramount+.

The game will get underway today at 8pm BST.

That’s 9pm local time and 3pm EDT.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of today’s mammoth Champions League clash between Manchester City, the holders, and Real Madrid, the most successful team in the history of Europe’s premier club competition.

March’s draw provided us with four truly mouthwatering quarter-finals — and you can follow live coverage of Arsenal’s first leg against Bayern Munich by clicking here — but this is surely the standout tie of the round.

Real Madrid, who have won this tournament an incredible 14 times, are running away with La Liga this season and last lost a game in normal time in September, when they fell 3-1 to city rivals Atletico. They are also gunning for revenge after their shocking 4-0 defeat by City at the semi-final stage last season. More on that later.

Manchester City, on the other hand, have been in slightly spottier form. They are third in the Premier League table and haven’t quite hit the heights they did last season — but only a fool would write them off given their track record in winning marquee fixtures such as this. The stage is set for a truly thrilling clash.