MIDFIELD DEPTH TEST: MAN CITY FACES REAL MADRID WITHOUT RODRI, STONES, KOVACIC
Man City faces a huge UCL test against Real Madrid without Rodri, Stones, and Kovacic. Guardiola needs a win to bounce back from last game's uninspired loss and boost progression hopes.
This week, Pep Guardiola is taking his Manchester City squad to Madrid for the sixth match in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
After a rough game five where Guardiola's ten lineup changes didn't pay off, the Premier League team is heading to Madrid looking to bounce back.
Manchester City's performance was uninspired, giving Bayer Leverkusen chances to score on the break, which they took twice. Now, City has a lot of work to do to make it to the round of 16 in the competition.
City's next three games include a match against Real Madrid, followed by a home game against Galatasaray in the New Year. The group stage ends with a trip to Norway to play against Bodo/Glimt.
During Tuesday morning’s training session at the City Football Academy, John Stones, Kalvin Phillips, Rodri, and Mateo Kovacic were absent from the squad.
Guardiola and Manchester City have now verified a 21-man team that left Manchester Airport on Tuesday afternoon, heading to Spain for Wednesday night's game against Real Madrid.
Here’s the 21-man Manchester City team travelling to play Real Madrid:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma, James Trafford, Marcus Bettinelli.
Defenders: Rico Lewis, Matheus Nunes, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nico O’Reilly.
Midfielders: Nico Gonzalez, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders, and Phil Foden.
Forwards: Oscar Bobb, Savinho, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, and Jeremy Doku.
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.
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.
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.”