Man City vs Real Madrid live team news as Pep picks five centre backs and Foden left out

Manchester City take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off tonight hoping to take a positive result to the Bernabeu next week.

City scraped into the knockouts on the final game of the League Phase with their reward a clash with Real - opponents in four of the last five seasons in the Champions League, but never this early. City's struggles this season put a different twist on the meeting, but they will be confident having held Real to a draw at the Etihad last season before a penalty shoot-out defeat, and having blown them away in the 2023 semi-final second leg.

Pep Guardiola will recall some big names rested at the weekend like Erling Haaland, while new signing Nico Gonzalez looks set to be fit. He is eligible for this clash along with Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov having been registered for the knockout stage.

The game is broadcast live on Amazon Prime Sport, and you can follow live updates and analysis right here in our dedicated live blog.

The light show ends with 'Freed from desire', sparking a stadium-wide rendition of 'Rodri's on fire'. Coincidence? It must be...

Anyway, in the tunnel there are hugs between Ederson and Vinicius, Bernardo and former Monaco teammate Kylian Mbappe, and the Frenchman also gives a hug to Erling Haaland.

The Rodri banner is unfurled and the atmosphere is building here.

Champions League night means light show time.

There's a montage with a custom poem on the screens, lasers on the pitch, fire infront of the East Stand. And a couple of mentions of Rodri in there too because why not!

The fans will be unveiling their 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' banner shortly.

Pep Guardiola said yesterday that his team had got exactly what they deserved and,