(Football news) The two European titans shared the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 match last week after an evening of brilliant strikes at the Bernabeu. The winner on Wednesday will advance to a semi-final test against either Bayern Munich or Arsenal.

Manchester City vs. Real Madrid matches in the Spanish capital almost always live up to the hype leading up to the match. The first leg of the match last week was no exception, with a slow effort from Rodrygo and an own goal from Ruben Dias canceling out Bernardo Silva’s explosive free kick in an intense first fifteen minutes.

Another pair of world-class strikes from Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol saw the tide turn yet again, but Carlo Ancelotti’s troops had one last trick up their sleeve – potentially the most astonishing of the night – as Federico Valverde’s exquisite volley capped off a six-goal extravaganza.

Coincidentally, six goals have also been registered in each of Manchester City’s last two Premier League contests, but Pep Guardiola’s men have come out on the correct end of the scoreline each time, coming from behind to conquer Crystal Palace before the weekend’s 5-1 dismantling of relegation-threatened Luton Town.

The smiles etched across the Citizens’ faces would not have faded on Sunday either, as Arsenal and Liverpool’s humbling home losses means that the treble winners boast a two-point advantage at the summit of the Premier League rankings – far from insurmountable, though, despite the affirmations of some pessimistic Gooners and Reds.

Now unbeaten in 27 matches across all tournaments since December’s lowly loss to Aston Villa, City have more than just a semi-final place on offer this week, as progression would also see the hosts equal a club-record 42-game unbeaten streak on home turf, a feat set all the way back in 1921.

Not since November 2022 – before the Qatar World Cup – have Man City emerged from an Etihad encounter on the wrong end of the scoreline, but Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are no strangers to extraordinary Champions League comebacks against their counterparts in sky blue.

Thanks to Valverde’s vicious volley with 11 minutes of normal time remaining last week, Los Blancos are yet to taste defeat in the 2023-24 Champions League and head to Manchester with a 100% record from their four away games in the current edition, albeit winning all of those contests by just the one goal.

However, a solitary strike from Aurelien Tchouameni – suspended for Wednesday’s contest – was coincidentally enough to propel Real Madrid to a 1-0 beating of Mallorca in the weekend’s La Liga battle, keeping Ancelotti’s champions-elect eight points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table with seven games remaining.

Before traveling to the north of England on Wednesday, Real Madrid, the 14-time Champions League winners, have some Mancunian history on their side. Their hosts’ unbeaten run may not be as impressive as theirs, but a 15-game run without a loss is still impressive.

It is true that in the ten Champions League matches where the visitors have not won the first leg, they have only advanced from two of those matches—that is, against Manchester United in 1999–2000 and 2012–2013. Though that might not mean much against the Red Devils’ boisterous neighbors at a venue where they were destroyed 4-0 the previous season.

Also read: PSG defeat Barcelona and qualify for the semi-finals