Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League with head coach Xabi Alonso in the spotlight.
The 15-time European champions have won just two of their past seven matches across all competitions and are in the throes of an injury crisis.
Sunday's home loss to Celta Vigo left Los Blancos four points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga and reports in the Madrid press this week have suggested defeat to City will cost Alonso his job.
"When you are the coach of Real Madrid, you have to be ready to face these situations in a calm and relaxed way," the former Bayer Leverkusen boss said at his post-match news conference. "I feel confident. We want to create excitement, we are trying to change the situation and, in our mind, all we have is Manchester City in the Champions League. This [situation] can change very quickly; we can change our vision."
City come into the match on the back of three successive wins in the Premier League but lost their previous league phase match, when a heavily rotated side went down 2-0 at home to Alonso's old employers Leverkusen.
The Sporting News is following the Real Madrid vs. Manchester City match live, providing score updates and commentary
Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Where to watch where you are
Real Madrid vs. Man City score
Pregame Goalscorers
Real Madrid —
Man City —
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Referee: Clement Turpin
Predicted lineups:
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras —Guler, Tchouameni, Camavinga —Bellingham —G. Garcia, Vinicius
Man City (4-2-2-2, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly — Silva, Nico — Cherki, Foden — Haaland, Doku
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Real Madrid vs. Man City live updates, highlights, and commentary
2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Real Madrid vs. Manchester City in the Champions League.
Real Madrid vs. Man City kick off time
The Champions League match kicks off in Madrid, Spain at 9 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
Date Kickoff time
USA Wed, Dec. 10 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT
Canada Wed, Dec. 10 3:00 p.m. ET/ 12 p.m. PT
UK Wed, Dec. 10 8:00 p.m. GMT
Australia Thu, Dec. 11 6:00 a.m. AEDT
India Thu, Dec. 11 1:30 a.m. IST
Real Madrid vs. Man City lineups, team news
With so much on the line for Xabi Alonso, it would be an enormous blow for Kylian Mbappe to miss this match. He is reportedly a serious doubt to participate due to a knock to his knee. While not considered a long-term issue, Mbappe is dealing with pain, and will be a game-time decision.
According to French publication L'Equipe, Mbappe's participation is "very unlikely" after he missed Real Madrid training on Tuesday. Candidates to replace him include a struggling Rodrygo, or Club World Cup hero Gonzalo Garcia who stepped in for the Frenchman effectively over the summer.
Alonso also has a litany of defensive concerns to work around. Eder Militao and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been recently added to the long list of injury absences along the back line, which already included Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, David Alaba and Ferland Mendy. Another potential absentee is Eduardo Camavinga who has picked up an ankle issue.
Real Madrid (4-3-1-2, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Carreras —Guler, Tchouameni, Camavinga —Bellingham —G. Garcia, Vinicius
Real Madrid subs: Matchday squads released one hour before kickoff
Rodri remains out due to a hamstring problem alongside long-term absentee Mateo Kovacic.
John Stones has been a mainstay in the Champions League this season but is also out, meaning Guardiola is likely to stick with the configuration that has served him well in the Premier League of late.
Rayan Cherki marked his return to the first XI with two assists in a sparkling performance against Sunderland and is likely to be retained against the 15-time European champions.
Man City (4-2-2-2, right to left): Donnarumma (GK) — Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly — Silva, Nico — Cherki, Foden — Haaland, Doku
Man City subs: Matchday squads released one hour before kickoff
Real Madrid vs. Man City live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions:
Region TV Streaming
USA — Paramount+
Canada — DAZN
UK TNT Sports 1 discovery+
Australia — Stan Sport
India Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 4 Jio TV, Sony LIV