After Real Madrid secured a huge 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s post-match interview offered an interesting insight

Trent Alexander-Arnold has suggested Real Madrid were irked by suggestions Manchester City were going to “batter” them in their Champions League clash. For the fifth year in a row, City were drawn to face the Spanish heavyweights in the knockout stages of the competition.

Pep Guardiola’s side had already beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabeu this season, securing a 2-1 away victory before Christmas. However, in the first leg of their round of 16 clash, Federico Valverede’s first-half hat-trick secured a 3-0 triumph.

The Cityzens will have a huge mountain to climb when they host Alvaro Arbeloa’s side in the second-leg. After the match, Alexander-Arnold admitted he and his team-mates were fuelled by suggestions City were favourites, given Real Madrid’s inconsistent form in all competitions this season and the fact they were missing Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and many more from their line-up.

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The former Liverpool defender said: “Massive performance. A lot of the noise when the draw was made and leading up to this game, especially with the way we have been playing and results we have had.

“A lot of people expected us to get battered tonight. But it shows the mentality. It doesn’t matter what injuries we have got or players out.

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“This competition matters a lot to the club and as players we understand that. We go out there and they support us like that and anyone can win. We have executed the game-plan perfectly.

“We had confidence coming into this game. We knew our game-plan, we executed it and scored our goals very ruthlessly. The size of the game is the main thing.

“I don’t want to say that other games are less important but when there is so much hype around a game and so many eyes on it, you know you have to perform. When you play for a club like this the expectation is that you have to win.

“I am running out of words for him [Federico Valverde] as a player. He is undoubtedly the most underrated footballer on the planet. When you play with him you understand how much he gives to the team. He covers every blade of grass and gives his all. As a player the best attribute you can have is that your team-mates can always count on you and he never lets us down.”

After the match, Guardiola said: “I think we played quite a good game. I think we’ve tried to do our best and we could not create chances where Courtois could not intervene. We got to the box many times and when you were able to do that it means you have followed a good process but we didn’t score.

“Real Madrid has always been very dangerous but I don’t have the feeling that Courtois has played a great game. He made a parry from Nico [O’Reilly] in the second half but we have reached that byline many times – six, seven, eight times – so we’ve done a good job, we were just missing this detail.

“If you dominate [Real] you always have this feeling of them being able to run but my feeling about ourselves is we’ve done quite a good job. But because the score is 3-0 that is a little bit useless.”

City face Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium next Tuesday evening. They will have to win 3-0 just to merely force extra-time against the Spaniards, who are currently second in La Liga.

Bernardo Silva spoke after Manchester City were beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg

Bernardo Silva felt Manchester City lost control of the contest as they slumped to defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The Blues were undone by a Fedi Valverde first-half hat-trick to lose 3-0 and although Gianluigi Donnarumma kept out a Vini Jr penalty after the break, City could not find a way back into the contest to leave them a mountain to climb in Tuesday’s Etihad return.

Both Bernardo and boss Pep Guardiola didn’t feel City’s performance was a particularly poor one but the skipper admitted it was a deflating result.

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“It is quite frustrating [we didn’t score], even though we believe it is still possible because in football a lot of things can happen, at half-time we were saying, ‘the situation is bad’ there were a lot of things that shouldn’t have happened but with one goal you are in the tie,” said Bernardo.

“At 3-0 it makes it a bit more difficult. Now it feels really bad, now it feels really dark. Tomorrow is another day and for sure next week we will go to the game thinking we have a chance.

“Right now is the moment to reflect and see what we didn’t do right. Then next week when we are preparing we will be hopeful we can do something.”

On the game itself, the City skipper added: “It is difficult to speak about it because I would need to watch it again. My feeling on the pitch was that we started the game well.

“The environment we could not control and I think my team let the emotions change the game. We felt comfortable and were finding the right spaces but after conceding the first one we lost completely the control, we stopped controlling transitions and second balls. When you play against Real Madrid with the quality they have you pay the price.

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“It is a tough stadium to play at. We are used to playing at these stadiums because playing at Anfield and St James’ Park is very tough.

“You need to go through these moments to become better and today was just a learning game for the whole team.”

Even without a host of Galacticos, Real Madrid was far too strong for Manchester City in the latest Champions League clash of these titans.

A 3-0 win at the Bernabeu on Wednesday (March 12, 2026) put Madrid in control of this round-of-16 tie at the halfway mark after a stunning first-half hat trick by Federico Valverde. The Uruguay international took on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champion in the absence of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.

“We are Real Madrid and you should never consider us dead,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.

The victory could have been even more commanding, but Vinícius Júnior’s casually taken second-half penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2 and tiny Bodø/Glimt is also in sight of the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen.

Madrid masterclass

By fulltime at a rocking Bernabeu, the only comfort City could cling to was the fact that it could have been so much worse.

When Vinícius stood over the ball on the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark, he looked certain add to the lead. But the Brazil forward skipped in his run-up and hit a weak side-footed effort that Donnarumma pushed away.

It will still take a massive turnaround to see City advance after being outclassed by Madrid.

Valverde’s hat trick featured three outstanding goals. The pick of the lot was his third when he flicked the ball over the head of City defender Marc Guehi before volleying home.

TV cameras caught Bellingham watching in the stadium with his mouth wide open in awe of the move.

City manager Pep Guardiola will likely be worrying that history is set to repeat itself after his team was eliminated at the hands of Madrid in each of the last two seasons.

“Our game was not as bad as this result,” Guardiola said. “I’m not someone to say we are going to turn it round, but we will try.”

PSG takes control against Chelsea

After losing to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup last year, PSG got some revenge.

A three-goal advantage after the first leg saw Luis Enrique’s team take a big step toward the last eight.

Chelsea had twice leveled the game, but a mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen, who gave the ball away on the edge of his box in the 74th minute, allowed Vitinha to lift a shot into the open net.

PSG substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice more to leave Chelsea with a mountain to climb back at Stamford Bridge.

“This is our most important moment in the competition,” Luis Enrique said. “We’ll try to play the second leg in the same way as we did today. We’ll try to win the game. That’s the best mentality as if we’re thinking about defending our lead, it could be a big mistake.”

No stopping Bodø/Glimt

Bodø/Glimt’s fairytale run just keeps on going. Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have been left in the tiny Norwegian club’s wake. Now Sporting Lisbon’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread.

Bodø/Glimt — located north of the Arctic Circle and farther north than any team in Champions League history — took full advantage of playing the first leg at home and led 2-0 at halftime through Sondre Fet’s penalty and Ole Blomberg’s goal just before the break.

Kasper Hogh scored in the 71st to put his team on the brink of the next round.

Bodø/Glimt was already the first Norwegian team to the advance to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and could now go even further.

Havertz haunts Leverkusen

Kai Havertz returned to haunt Bayer Leverkusen and seal a late draw for Arsenal.

The Germany international struck an 89th-minute penalty against the team where he started his career and leveled the round-of-16 first leg tie at BayArena.

“I know the stadium well and have taken many penalties from this spot,” said Havertz, who left Leverkusen for Chelsea in a $95 million deal in 2020.

Premier League leading Arsenal fell behind on Robert Andrich’s goal just after halftime. But Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke in the box, and Havertz fired low past Janis Blaswich from the spot.

“The time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity,” Havertz said. “But in the end, you have to be mentally present in those moments.” Premier League dominance halted After dominating the league phase of this year’s tournament, Premier League teams were brought down to Earth in the round of 16.

All English teams fail to register wins

Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham all fell to heavy defeats, while Liverpool also lost to Galatasaray.

In all, none of England’s six teams in the knockouts won their first leg, with Arsenal and Newcastle both picking up draws.

Arsenal will be favorite to overcome Leverkusen at home and Liverpool only has to overturn a 1-0 deficit in its second leg at Anfield.

But City, Chelsea and Tottenham face big deficits, while Newcastle travels to Camp Nou to play Barcelona.

Published – March 12, 2026 10:44 am IST

Manchester City were well beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, and their response will define the campaign

Pep Guardiola admitted before this game that Real Madrid has had a huge influence on his career, the Spanish heavyweights will now significantly shape his season.

The Manchester City boss has come up against Los Blancos 50 times now as a player and manager, the latest meeting will likely be the most difficult to stomach.

An inspired Madrid romped into a 3-0 interval lead thanks to a Fedi Valverde hat-trick as a defensively suspect City were left stunned.

It was a mountain to climb and City couldn’t lay a glove. The Champions League bid is in tatters on a night to forget. The reaction will now tell us everything.

Were this City vintage good enough to go all the way in Europe? Possibly not given where this team is at and the calibre of opponents in their half of the draw. Can they recover from such a chastening evening to keep their trophy hopes alive in domestic competitions? Time will tell.

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West Ham away is next, with the Hammers improved in recent weeks as they chase Premier League survival.

For a City side desperate to keep pace with Arsenal at the top it is a must-win. Particularly as they don’t play another top flight fixture for nearly a month.

The Carabao Cup final is only 10 days away, an FA Cup quarter-final with Liverpool looms over Easter weekend. The next three weeks is City’s season.

City’s ability to recover from setbacks has been evident already this season. Successive defeats to Newcastle and Leverkusen in November, the defeat to Bodo/Glimt was followed by an 11 game unbeaten run ended in Madrid.

The Blues must now do it again under the pressure of an imposing fixture list that could make or break the campaign.

Beat West Ham and then Arsenal at Wembley and the international break takes on an entirely different narrative.

Guardiola has been here before, this squad hasn’t. Not in a run-in when suddenly every match is magnified, every fixture could be fatal.

It’s a test of mentality and mindset now for this City side.

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Manchester City have a mountain to climb heading into the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Etihad Stadium, following a damaging 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made his feelings clear to Joe Hart with a private message, claiming the Champions League tie with Real Madrid is far from over.

On TNT Sport, Hart lifted the lid on an interaction between the two after the full-time whistle and the former City goalkeeper said: “He said: ‘Let’s go, it’s not over, let’s go’, It gave me chills, I love that guy!”

Pep Guardiola’s side have a mountain to climb with Real Madrid racing into a 3-0 lead by half-time. A brilliant hat-trick from Fede Valverde has Alvaro Arbeloa’s side in total control ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.

A lot had been made of Los Blancos’ extensive injury list ahead of Wednesday’s encounter with their old adversaries at the Bernabeu, with notable absentees including Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.

However, Valverde rose to the occasion and the Uruguayan midfielder tore City to shreds with a ruthless display of finishing.

He netted three times in just 22 minutes and things could have deteriorated further for Pep Guardiola’s men had Donnarumma not denied Vinicius Junior from the penalty spot in the second half.

It capped a miserable 48 hours for English clubs in the Spanish capital following Tottenham’s 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

City, who had entered the tie as favourites, have a daunting challenge in next week’s return leg at the Etihad Stadium.

The away side actually began positively and tried to impose themselves on Real Madrid. Antoine Semenyo unleashed an early effort at Thibaut Courtois whilst the energetic Jeremy Doku fired efforts across the goalmouth.

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Nico O’Reilly also came close and Bernardo Silva sent a volley narrowly wide as they tried to capitalise on a depleted Real Madrid side.

But the hosts issued a warning when former City academy graduate Brahim Diaz drew a save from Donnarumma, though it went ignored.

The Premier League side were caught napping by a long delivery from Courtois which sailed over O’Reilly’s head, and Valverde controlled it superbly in his stride. He then glided past Donnarumma and finished superbly while off-balance from a narrow angle.

City had scarcely had chance to recover before Valverde added his second seven minutes later. He may have benefited from fortune as a Vinicius pass deflected into his path, but there was nothing lucky about his touch as he composed himself to fire a low left-footed effort beyond Donnarumma.

The third was the best of the bunch and completed his stunning hat-trick before the interval as Jude Bellingham watched on in awe.

Valverde flicked the ball over the head of Marc Guehi and hammered home a volley to ramp up the pressure on City ahead of the return fixture.

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Manchester City fell behind to Real Madrid in the 20th minute as Federico Valverde pounced on a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma, before the goalscorer went on to seal a first-half hat-trick

Ally McCoist ripped apart Gianluigi Donnarumma after the Manchester City goalkeeper made a costly error leading to Real Madrid’s opening goal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Despite making a positive start to the Champions League last 16 first leg tie, it was Real who took the lead in the 20th minute.

Thibaut Courtois long pass caused all sorts of trouble for the City back-line and Valverde managed to get in behind before prodding the ball past Donnarumma and slotting into an empty net.

Donnarumma had made the decision to storm out of his goal and attempt to win the ball, but Valverde got there first and kept his composure, scoring from a tight angle and giving Real the lead.

From allowing Valverde to get in behind to Donnarumma flying out his goal and getting beaten, it’s goal that City are no doubt going to be frustrated about conceding.

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Ex-Rangers forward McCoist pulled no punches on the defending leading to Valverde’s first goal, saying it was “diabolical” from City’s perspective.

McCoist said on TNT Sports: “The ball’s out of this world, so’s the finish, just touches it round Donnarumma. Does he kind of just pull his left arm away?! It’s a beautiful touch (from Valverde) to take him away from O’Reilly, knocks it round him, goes the other way…

“Diabolical goal to lose defensively, you cannot lose goals at any level, never mind this level, from a goalkeeper’s punt up the park to a wide area, two touches and the ball’s in the back of the net.”

Former City goalkeeper Joe Hart provided a much more balanced look, meanwhile, and appeared to defend Donnarumma, who did pull his arms and legs back to avoid making contact with Valverde and giving a potential penalty – or even a red card – away.

Hart said on TNT Sports: “Just as we see it guys, unbelievable touch from Fede Valverde, but what I am seeing there is that because Donnarumma is committed, coming at pace, he is thinking he might slide tackle outside the box. And as it goes past him, he makes the calculated decision to think, ‘I don’t need to be giving a penalty away and a potential red card here, so I’ll sacrifice the goal.’

“When he looks back he’ll know he can use his hands, but with the way he is attacking that ball he’s thinking, ‘tackle, tackle, tackle’ and he hasn’t realised that his hands are actually inside the box.”

That goal seemed to rock City as Real pounced and made it 2-0 in the 27th minute. Valverde netted his second of the game as he ran on to a threaded pass from Vinicius Jr before firing a low left-footed shot past Donnarumma.

Things then went from bad to worse for City as Real scored a third before half-time. It was that man Valverde again who completed his hat-trick, as the Uruguayan clipped the ball over Marc Guehi’s head inside the box before burying a shot beyond Donnarumma to make it 3-0.

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Manchester City face Real Madrid this evening in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie at the Bernabeu.

Manchester City meet their old foes Real Madrid this evening as the pair battle it out in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Both sides have had their struggles at times this season, with Real Madrid sacking Xabi Alonso earlier in the campaign. Alvaro Arbeloa has steadied the ship since his appointment but Real have still lost two of their previous four games. City, meanwhile, have threatened to put together one of their formidable runs that have seen them clinch so many pieces of silverware, but they’ve shown they’re still susceptible to the odd slip-up.

Tonight’s game promises to be a fascinating encounter, and both sides have thier injury problems. Here’s a look at the players who could miss out tonight due to injury.

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Man City injury latest

Josko Gvardiol will play no part in tonight’s game having suffered a fracture to his right leg during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in January. Mateo Kovacic is another who has spent a significant spell in the treatment room and he is also unavailable tonight, although he is back in team training and so there’s a hope a return could be on the horizon.

Max Alleyne is continuing his comeback from a knock and he has been included in the travelling squad, as has Erling Haaland after he sat out the FA Cup victory over Newcastle on Saturday.

List of City absentees due to injury: Gvardiol, Kovacic

Real Madrid injury latest

So, City aren’t without their injury concerns but tonight’s opposition have far more problems. Kylian Mbappe is back in training after injury but tonight could come too soon for Real’s talisman. Arbeloa has said he expects to have the Frenchman back “very soon” but refused to confirm whether he would play against City.

Jude Bellingham has been missing with a hamstring injury since last month and is not expected to play tonight, while Rodrygo will also miss the game after undergoing surgery on his ACL.

Former Manchester United left-back Alvaro Fernandez could sit out the Bernabeu clash with a calf problem, and David Alaba is in a similar situation having missed the weekend win over Celta Vigo with a calf injury.

Dani Ceballos picked up an injury in the defeat to Osasuna in February and is not expected back any time soon. Éder Militão rounds off the Real injury list and he too will play no part this evening.

Possible list of Real absentees due to injury: Mbappe, Bellingham, Rodrygo, Fernandez, Alaba, Ceballos, Militao

John Stones is well versed in Manchester City vs Real Madrid Champions League ties and he believes Pep Guardiola’s squad have what it takes to compete on all fronts this season

John Stones didn’t watch the Champions League draw. Like many, he probably felt there was an inevitability that Manchester City would be reunited with Real Madrid.

The two teams are about to play for the tenth and 11th time in the last five seasons, meeting more than City have with several Premier League sides over the same period.

For Stones, meetings with Madrid have often told a personal story. In 2022 he came back too quickly from injury and was forced off injured in the first leg of the semi-final as City were beaten. A year later he played both legs of the last four clash when the Blues went on to lift the Champions League trophy, beating Inter Milan in the final with Stones imperious as City completed a treble.

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In 2024 he played through the pain barrier in the first leg having picked up an injury in the game and was ruled out of the second leg as a result. Last year injury struck again when he was forced off after eight minutes in the second leg and his season was over as a result. So what will the 2026 iteration bring?

“It’s another chance to prove our worth and get one over on them,” said Stones, speaking to TNT Sports Mexico. “I think going to the Bernabeu and playing Madrid is such a difficult task. That’s exciting in itself to go and overcome that.

“I don’t watch the draw, I get told who we get. I look at it in we can’t control who we get, we are going to have to beat whoever gets put in front of us and I relish the challenge that we’ve got.”

City have got a host of challenges in the next few weeks. If they overcome Madrid, it might be Bayern Munich and Vincent Kompany in the last eight. The FA Cup has yielded an Easter quarter-final with Liverpool, while a Wembley date with Arsenal looms large in the Carabao Cup final.

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The Blues have entered mid-March fighting on four fronts with a new-look squad. Stones is the longest-serving City player, so can he help his team-mates?

“It’s a difficult one to explain that to someone that is coming into it,” the defender said. “It’s more a feeling that they get and a standard that is set by players that have been through those situations. It’s down to us to keep setting those standards and those bars high and what is expected in these big moments.

“The odd word to the guys who haven’t been in these experiences or moments before can be settling at times, I remember when I was going through them. Just knowing that people like me, Ruben, Bernardo, the boys around them, is a comforting thing and everyone that has come through this club in the time I’ve been here has been a winner, it’s something deep down within them and they know how to get over the line.

“Everyone has had a different upbringing and path to get to where they are right now and all those combinations that put together are special. It’s an exciting time and hopefully we can help the boys through.”

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

Real Madrid have a number of injuries to contend with ahead of Manchester City’s visit in the Champions League round of 16 tonight.

Real Madrid will be forced to field a weaker side than they would like when Manchester City visit in the Champions League round of 16 tonight. While Pep Guardiola is able to choose from a mostly fit squad, Alvaro Arbeloa may be missing as many as seven players.

Despite this, they will have their first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, available. The Belgian and City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma are arguably the two best shot stoppers in world football and Courtois’ presence between the sticks will give Madrid confidence. Trent Alexander-Arnold is a familiar foe for City and should start at right-back.

Dean Huijsen missed the weekend victory over Celta Vigo due to suspension but is available to feature again alongside Antonio Rudiger at the back. Former Manchester United defender Alvaro Carreras has been the firm favourite at left-back this season but he picked up a calf injury recently and is unlikely to be available.

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Ferland Mendy is likely to keep his place on the left side of defence. Eduardo Camavinga has missed the last couple of La Liga matches but took part in training on Tuesday so should be recalled to face City. Captain Federico Valverde is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Jude Bellingham continues to suffer with a hamstring issue and won’t feature against the Blues. Aurelien Tchouameni excelled against Celta Vigo and likely retains his spot.

In attack, Real could be missing Kylian Mbappe. He returned to training on Monday and Arbeloa suggested Mbappe was recovering from injury well but refused to confirm his availability for this game.

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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.

Arda Guler could keep his place as a false nine at the top of the pitch. With Mbappe absent, Real are hoping Vinicius Jr can fill the void. He is guaranteed to start and former City man Brahim Diaz completes the front three.

Real Madrid predicted XI vs City: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Huijsen, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Diaz, Guler, Vinicius Jr

Manchester City take on Real Madrid tonight in the Champions League round of 16 first leg.

Manchester City return to Spain tonight when they take on Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Bernabeu. The Blues enter the game full of confidence after beating Newcastle 3-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday night. That team was heavily changed with the midweek clash in mind.

Erling Haaland did not travel to St James’ Park, sparking fears he could miss the game against Real. The Norway international did not travel to Leeds due to a minor ankle issue but he did play against Nottingham Forest last Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola said after the game against Newcastle he wanted Haaland to rest as he monitors his recovery. MEN Sport has rounded up the latest injury news and return dates from the City camp ahead of tonight’s big game.

Erling Haaland

Injury: Knock

Haaland took part in first-team training on Tuesday ahead of the clash with Real Madrid. He has travelled with the squad to Spain for tonight’s match.

Potential return date: March 11 vs Real Madrid

Mateo Kovacic

Injury: Ankle

It has been a frustrating season for Kovacic after suffering an ankle injury in October. Guardiola confirmed the midfielder would be back for the latter stages of the campaign and was training with the squad ahead of the trip to Madrid.

Potential return date: March/April

Max Alleyne

Injury: Knock

Alleyne has not been in the squad since the victory over Salford in the FA Cup. He picked up a knock in that game but did feature in first-team training on Tuesday before the trip to Real Madrid.

Potential return date: March

Josko Gvardiol

Injury: Leg

Gvardiol is a long-term absentee for City having fractured his leg in the January draw with Chelsea. The defender is in a race against the clock to be back before the end of the season and this summer’s World Cup.

Potential return date: May/June