Real Madrid hosted Manchester City at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in a classic UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match; the game ended in a commanding 3-0 win for the hosts.
Real Madrid returned to their UEFA Champions League triumphs with this big win and made things easier for themselves ahead of the second leg despite numerous absences in the team.
Real Madrid succeeded in exploiting Manchester City’s weaknesses well enough, thanks to the quality of the Los Blancos attacking players and their ability to be as crucial as needed in counterattacks.
On the other hand, Manchester City looked a bit passive in both the defensive and attacking phases in this match, failing to surprise Real Madrid in attack and defend well enough to block Real Madrid’s attacks.
In this tactical analysis article, we explore how Real Madrid exploited Manchester City’s poor approach to the game and shed light on Manchester City’s attacking issues.
Real Madrid Vs Manchester City Lineups & Formations
Álvaro Arbeloa started the match in a 4-4-2 formation, with Thibaut Courtois as goalkeeper and Dean Huijsen alongside Antonio Rüdiger as the centre-back pairing.
Ferland Mendy started at left-back, while Trent Alexander-Arnold started at right-back.
The midfield was composed of Thiago Pitarch and Aurélien Tchouaméni as central midfielders, Federico Valverde as a right winger, and Arda Güler as a left winger.
The attacking duo was made up of Vinícius Júnior and Brahim Díaz, with Vinícius leaning frequently towards the left wing and Díaz getting the freedom to move everywhere inside the final third.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation, relying on Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, and a defensive line of Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi as centre-backs, flanked by Abdukodir Khusanov on the right and Nico O’Reilly on the left as full-backs.
Bernardo Silva and Rodri were the two central midfielders, with Antoine Semenyo being the advanced playmaker, Jérémy Doku and Savinho playing on the wings, and Erling Haaland being the team’s central striker.
[Real Madrid Vs Manchester City [3–0] – Champions League 2025/2026: Real Madrid Masterclass Attacking Performance – Tactical Analysis](https://totalfootballanalysis.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1-2.png)
Real Madrid Vs Manchester City Lineups
Real Madrid Masterclass Attacking Performance
The match started with both teams trying to dominate possession and penetrate inside the opposing penalty box, with Real Madrid trying to advance through the wings more often, and Manchester City focusing further on recoveries and counterattacks.
Manchester City’s counterattacks looked very dangerous, as their transition from defence to attack was usually very quick in this match, with Dokus penetrations and key passes from the left wing as the primary solution.
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