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ALL EYES ON BERNABéU: UCL BLOCKBUSTER AS MADRID FACES DEFENSIVE MELTDOWN

Real Madrid faces Man City with an unprecedented eight-player injury crisis, including Militao and Carvajal. City, despite their own injury woes, aims to capitalise on a UCL top-eight finish.

All Eyes on Bernabéu: UCL Blockbuster as Madrid Faces Defensive Meltdown
Eight Stars Out: Real Madrid vs. Man City UCL Showdown.

Real Madrid could be without as many as eight of their key players when they play Manchester City in the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Madrid is currently fifth in the group, just two points ahead of Manchester City, who are ninth. This game has become a classic, especially during Pep Guardiola’s time at City.

Since 2020, City has often faced the Spanish team, who have won the Champions League more than any other team. They had mixed results, including their title win in 2023 when they beat Real Madrid in the semi-final and then Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul.

City is doing great in their domestic league, but a surprising 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in Europe, after Guardiola made ten changes to his starting lineup, makes the upcoming game against Real Madrid even more critical.

Last season, Madrid beat Manchester City home and away in the Round of 16, easily winning 6-2 on aggregate. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the second leg in Spain.

City will miss Rodri, Mateo Kovacic, and John Stones due to injuries. They are not expected to play in Wednesday's game in Madrid. Guardiola will give an update on the team's fitness at a press conference on Tuesday.

Fitness is a big worry for Alonso and Madrid, who are missing many important players for one of the biggest games of the season. All eyes will be on the Santiago Bernabeu this week.

Eder Militao has a hamstring injury, Trent Alexander-Arnold is out until February 2026 with a thigh issue, and Dean Huijsen is doubtful because of a muscle injury.

Dani Carvajal recently had knee surgery and will be out for a while. David Alaba might also miss the game against Manchester City as he recovers from a muscle injury, which kept him out of the 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Ferland Mendy has only played once for Real Madrid this season due to ongoing fitness problems. It’s unclear when Alonso can count on the Frenchman, especially with a tough schedule ahead that could seriously affect their title hopes.

Kylian Mbappe is dealing with discomfort in his left leg. He missed training on Tuesday and is a major doubt for the game against Manchester City, according to Arancha Rodríguez.

Eduardo Camavinga also missed training because of an ankle injury, confirmed by Fabrice Hawkins. This means he will miss the game against City, who will want to use Madrid’s fitness issues to their advantage on Wednesday.

Manchester City can’t afford to lose two Champions League games in a row. Guardiola and his team will try to win, using their good Premier League form. Still, a draw against Real Madrid is never a bad result.

LEAGUE UPDATE: MAN UNITED’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES BOOSTED BY COEFFICIENT POINTS SURGE

Manchester United move into fourth place as England's dominant UEFA coefficient makes a fifth Champions League spot almost certain.

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Confirmed: Fifth place in PL likely to earn UCL qualification this season

Manchester United just got a real shot in the arm for their Champions League hopes this season. After knocking off Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, they’ve climbed into fourth place in the Premier League. It’s been a struggle for United to make the Champions League in recent years—their last run was in the 2023/24 season.

These days, finishing in the top four isn’t always enough for Premier League teams. UEFA now hands out extra spots, and it all depends on how clubs from each country perform across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

So, how does it work? UEFA takes each league’s overall coefficient score—basically, a measure of how well their teams do in Europe—and divides it by the number of clubs they have in these competitions.

This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle all joined the European fight. Out of those six, only Newcastle had to go through the play-offs; the rest sailed straight into the knockouts.

Now that the Champions League group stage is done, you can really see which countries are in line for those bonus spots next year. Right now, England is out in front with 180,625 points. Germany follows with 107,000. Portugal sits in third with 14,700, and Spain is just behind on 14,375.

Here’s the key thing: the two countries whose teams rack up the best results across all three competitions this season each get a European Performance Spot—an extra Champions League place.

With England leading the pack, even a fifth-place finish in the Premier League could send United back into the Champions League instead of the Europa League. Newcastle took advantage of this last season.

If United hold onto fourth, they’re in. But there’s still a lot of football left. Interim boss Michael Carrick isn’t letting anyone get ahead of themselves—he’s already told his players to stay sharp.

Next up, United face Fulham at Old Trafford. They'll be chasing a third straight win and looking to keep Carrick’s perfect record going since he stepped in for Darren Fletcher.

JUST IN: PEP GUARDIOLA THANKS JOSE MOURINHO AFTER WILD NIGHT OF EUROPEAN DRAMA

Pep Guardiola thanks Jose Mourinho as Benfica’s last-gasp winner against Real Madrid sends City straight into the Last-16.

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Pep Guardiola’s oldest rival just saved City’s season

Pep Guardiola had a smile on his face and a message for Jose Mourinho after his old rival did him a huge favour, helping Manchester City sneak into the Champions League knockout rounds.

City took care of their own business, beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad. Haaland and Cherki got the goals, but the real drama was happening elsewhere. City’s spot in the last eight still hung in the balance because Real Madrid needed to equalise against Benfica. If they had, Guardiola’s squad would have been bumped into the play-offs instead.

That’s when Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off something wild. He left his box, charged forward for a late free kick, and scored a brilliant goal. Benfica won 4-2. That goal kept Benfica alive in the competition—and, as it turned out, saved City too.

Guardiola admitted he and his players were glued to the screen in the dressing room, completely confused when they saw Trubin running up for that last free kick. “We were all in there, watching, and none of us realised Benfica still needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said. “So when their keeper went up, we’re all thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But Jose knew. It was a smart move. Finishing in the top eight, with how tough the Champions League has become, feels really good for us. Now we can focus on being at our best by March.”

Bernardo Silva didn’t hide how relieved he felt. Skipping those extra play-off games really matters, especially when you’re chasing a quadruple. “A bit of drama, but we did it. We’re very happy because we avoid two more matches,” he said. “With all the injuries we’ve got and the crazy schedule, having those two weeks free to rest, get players back, and focus on the other competitions is huge for us.”

As for Mourinho, he looked proud after Benfica’s wild finish. He’s won this tournament twice before, and he believed his side deserved to stay in. “That was a fantastic goal, a historic moment—almost blew the roof off the stadium,” Mourinho said. “Honestly, for Benfica to beat Real Madrid, that’s massive.”

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