Manchester City vs Real Madrid Live Streaming Online and Free Telecast, UEFA Champions League 2025–26

The eyes of the football world will be on the Etihad Stadium tonight as Manchester City attempt a historic European comeback against the most successful club in the competition’s history, Real Madrid. Following a humbling 3-0 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu last week, City must win by a margin of four goals to progress directly, or three to force the tie into extra time. UEFA Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16: (March 17) Today's Football Matches and IST Kick-Off Times.

For Real Madrid, the fixture is an opportunity to assert their dominance. Los Blancos arrive in Manchester in formidable form, having followed their first-leg victory with a 4-1 thumping of Elche in La Liga. Meanwhile, City’s preparations were slightly dampened by a 1-1 domestic draw against West Ham over the weekend.

Where to Watch Man City vs Real Madrid Live Streaming and Telecast in India

As with all UEFA Champions League (UCL) fixtures for the 2025–26 season, the Sony Sports Network holds the exclusive rights for television and digital broadcast in India.

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The Valverde Factor and Team News

The primary talking point of the tie remains Federico Valverde. The Real Madrid captain’s first-half hat-trick in the opening leg stunned City and underlined the Uruguayan's elite status.

• Real Madrid: The visitors have received a major boost with the inclusion of Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham in the travelling squad. While Mbappé has been sidelined since late February with a knee injury, manager Álvaro Arbeloa has confirmed he is available, though he may start from the bench given the comfortable three-goal lead.
• Manchester City: Pep Guardiola is likely to revert to his strongest XI after experimenting in the first leg. Erling Haaland, who was unusually quiet in Madrid, will be the focal point of the attack. However, City remain without Joško Gvardiol (tibia) and Rico Lewis, though Mateo Kovačić is expected to be fit enough for the substitutes' bench.

Can Man City Pull Off the Impossible?

History suggests that while the task is daunting, it is not impossible. In 2023, Manchester City defeated Real Madrid 4-0 at the Etihad during their treble-winning campaign. However, the current iteration of Madrid appears far more resilient defensively. With the away goals rule no longer in effect, City’s primary objective will be a fast start to unnerve the Madrid backline and bring the home crowd into the game early.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2026 11:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).