Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid starting lineup against Manchester City | Champions League Ro16
Real Madrid face off against Manchester City in a little over an hour at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 tie.
With kick-off not far away, manager Alvaro Arbeloa has announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Pep Guardiola’s men, with just the one change in the side that featured against Celta Vigo last week.
Dean Huijsen, having served his suspension, replaces Raul Asencio at the heart of the Real Madrid defence, partnering up with Antonio Rudiger.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy continue as the full-backs, with the latter making only his second appearance under Arbeloa. Thibaut Courtois starts in goal as usual.
Meanwhile, Arbeloa has opted to go with the four-man midfield unit comprising Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, and Thiago Pitarch once more.
It means that there is no place in the starting XI for Eduardo Camavinga, who is back in the squad after recovering from a dental infection.
Up top, the manager continues with the pair of Vinicius Jr. and Brahim Diaz, with Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo Goes unavailable due to injuries. Gonzalo Garcia remains on the bench, along with Franco Mastantuono.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 11, 2026
🆚 @ManCityES pic.twitter.com/gnHgywq11X
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
