Man City remain Real Madrid's toughest challenge, says Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti believes the winner of his side's Champions League play-off against Manchester City will be among the favourites to lift the trophy.

Real and City are set to meet for the fourth consecutive season in Europe's premier club competition, with the first leg taking place in Manchester on Tuesday.

Unlike previous years, the heavyweight clash comes earlier in the tournament after both sides endured inconsistent league-phase campaigns, each suffering three defeats in their eight matches.

City barely scraped into the knockouts, needing a second-half comeback against Club Brugge in their final game. Their struggles have extended to the Premier League, where they sit fourth—15 points behind leaders Liverpool—after dominating English football with four consecutive titles.

Madrid, meanwhile, lead a tight La Liga title race ahead of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona but have also had their difficulties, particularly in defence due to a series of injuries.

The winner of this tie has gone on to win the Champions League in each of the past three seasons, and Ancelotti expects that trend to continue.

"Yes, the most difficult opponent, the most important opponent, and against the best manager," Ancelotti said on 5 February. "I'm convinced the team that goes through in this tie will go very deep into the competition."

City endured a dreadful run of just one win in 13 games between late October and December, and while results have improved slightly in 2025, their vulnerabilities were brutally exposed in a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal in their last league outing.

Ancelotti admitted he was surprised by City's struggles but insisted they remain one of the strongest sides in Europe.

"I continue to think City is one of the best teams in Europe and that they have the best coach in this competition. It is still the most difficult game we could have," he said.

"I am surprised they had a difficult period with injuries, but the team I have seen in the last few games is a strong and competitive one. It is hard to imagine City not being strong. They have fantastic players and a fantastic manager."

Madrid will be without several key defenders, with Lucas Vazquez joining an injury list that already includes Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba.

Midfielders Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde are expected to fill in at the back alongside Raul Asencio and Ferland Mendy.