Man Cityvs.Real Madrid

Los Blancos will visit the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening for the first leg of their knockout round playoff, before the return fixture takes place in the Spanish capital on February 19.

Five Real Madrid players are running the risk of being suspended for the second leg, though, with Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Endrick already picking up two yellow cards in the competition this season.

A booking for those players in the first leg would see them miss out at Bernabeu, and the absences of Bellingham or Tchouameni would be particularly damaging for the capital giants.

Bellingham has again been in excellent form for Los Blancos this season, scoring 10 goals and registering 10 assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, including two goals and three assists in the Champions League.

Bellingham among five Real Madrid players who could miss second leg vs. Man City though suspension

Tchouameni is currently being required in the middle of the defence, meanwhile, due to the absences of Eder Militao, David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal due to injury problems.

On Saturday against Atletico Madrid, Tchouameni featured alongside Raul Asencio in the middle of the defence, and that is again expected to be the case against Man City in England on Tuesday night.

Should Tchouameni be suspended for the second leg, Jacobo Ramon would likely be required to feature alongside Asencio, while forgotten man Jesus Vallejo could also potentially come into contention.

Camavinga is only just back from a muscular problem, with the France international making his return off the bench against Ateltico on Saturday, with the Madrid derby finishing 1-1 at Bernabeu.

Will Modric, Endrick be involved against Man City?

There is certainly a chance that Modric could start against Man City, although Dani Ceballos' performance in the Madrid derby is likely to lead to the Spaniard keeping his role in central midfield.

Modric is more likely to feature off the bench, but it would not be a surprise if Endrick did not get onto the field.

Indeed, the 18-year-old has only started once in the Champions League this season, and with Bellingham, Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior all fit, Endrick's best hope of action will come as a substitute.

The Brazilian has only played seven minutes of La Liga football this year, but he has scored three times in the Copa del Rey this year, including one against Leganes in the quarter-finals last week.

Written by

Matt Law