What are Manchester City’s and Real Madrid’s records at the Etihad?

Real Madrid have a tough task on their hands as they head into tonight’s Champions League semi-final return leg at the Etihad. The tie is poised at 1-1 and Guardiola is hoping that home advantage will count in his team’s favour, as he explained after the first leg at the Bernabéu: “The idea was to take the tie to Manchester. I am very happy with the game and with the result. At home we will be comfortable.”

There is a lot of truth in what Pep said - his team have gone 25 consecutive Champions League matches without defeat at their stadium. They have only dropped points twice (draws against Shakhtar and Sporting Clube). The Etihad a fortress for any visiting team. Guardiola’s players feel safe and confident in their stadium and the numbers support the calmness: they very rarely, if ever, lose at home.

So Real Madrid will have a job on their hands to make it to the Champions League final. Manchester City have not lost a European match at their own ground in since the group stage of the 2018-2019 season, when Bruno Genésio’s Olympique Lyon won 1-2 with Depay and Fekir finding the net.

Since 19 September 2018, City have gone 25 consecutive games without losing at home in Europe - to be precise, they have recorded 23 wins and two draws. In the this season’s Premier League, Brentford are the only team to have have won at the Etihad, coming away with a slim 1-2 victory back in November, while Everton scraped a 1-1 draw in their visit the following month. The rest have been resounding victories for Guardiola’s men - 16 games played, 14 wins, 59 goals for and 17 against.

Real Madrid’s struggles at the Etihad

Not only will Real Madrid have to fight against a City side who are almost impossible to beat at home, but they will also be up against their own record at the Etihad: Los Blancos have never beaten City in Manchester. Out of four their four previous trips to the Mancunian stadium, Madrid have not won once

Their first visit was in the 2012/13 Champions League group stage, which ended 1-1. The next visit, the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2015/16 tournament also ended level (0-0). Ancelotti’s team eliminated Pellegrini’s City in the return leg at the Bernabéu (1-0).

During the Champions League that was played during the Covid pandemic with no fans in attendance, City beat Zidane’s team 2-1, which saw Madrid go out at the Last 16 stage. And then, of course, there was last year’s meeting, when the Etihad witnessed a spectacular 4-3 victory in the first leg for Guardiola’s men followed by Madrid’s epic comeback at the Bernabéu.

Manchester City’s Champions League record at home