Real Madrid swept Manchester City aside to qualify for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, while Paris Saint-Germain rubber-stamped their spot in the next round by thrashing French rivals Brest. Kylian Mbappe struck twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick on the hour at the Santiago Bernabeu as the European champions won the return leg of the play-off tie 3-1 to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory. “I said it (before), I didn’t come to Real Madrid to play badly,” Mbappe told Movistar. “Making my dream come true is one thing, but I want to play well here, mark an era and make history at Real Madrid.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side will face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, in the last 16, for which the draw will made on Friday.

“The best team won, they deserve to be there and we don’t,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

After two late goals last week swung the balance considerably in Madrid’s favour, City suffered another blow before kick-off in Spain with Erling Haaland only considered fit enough to start on the bench.

Mbappe padded Madrid’s advantage with a fourth-minute lob, squeezing in between Ruben Dias and John Stones as he latched on to Raul Asencio’s long ball and lifted his effort over City goalkeeper Ederson.

The France striker rounded off a flowing team move with a sharp finish for Madrid’s second of the game, completing his hat-trick with a crisp left-footed shot from the edge of the area. 

Nico Gonzalez netted a consolation in stoppage time for City after Omar Marmoush’s powerful free-kick came back off the crossbar.

The lone real disappointment on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Jude Bellingham that will rule the England midfielder out of the first leg of the last 16.

For City, the focus will switch to simply securing a place in next season’s Champions League after a disastrous domestic campaign for a team that won the last four Premier League titles. 

“It’s been our worst year… we’ve been an incredible team and this year, for many reasons, we have lost that consistency,” said Guardiola.

PSG demolished Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes as goals from seven different players propelled the in-form French champions to a 10-0 win over both legs.

Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the first half to eliminate any small doubts for the hosts, who showed no mercy with Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu also on target.

It was PSG’s record winning margin in a European game. They scored just three goals in their first five Champions League matches this season, but have found the net 21 times in five outings since then.

“I think we are showing that winning everything is possible,” Kvaratskhelia told Canal Plus. “We come into every game to win and of course that is our goal and our dream. We will put everything into that.”

Luis Enrique’s men go on to a blockbuster clash with Liverpool or Barcelona, while Brest’s first-ever European campaign ended in sorry fashion against a club they have not beaten in 40 years. 

“It is pretty shameful to go out this way. To lose 7-0 is too much. Yes Paris are a great team and I hope they go all the way, but to lose 7-0 is unacceptable,” said Brest midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou.

PSV Eindhoven knocked out Juventus 4-3 on aggregate after extra time, overturning a first-leg deficit with a 3-1 win in the Netherlands.

Timothy Weah cancelled out Ivan Perisic‘s opener for PSV, but the hosts forced an additional 30 minutes with a goal from Ismael Saibari.

Defender Ryan Flamingo turned in from close range in the 98th minute to send PSV through at the expense of Thiago Motta‘s Juventus, with Arsenal or Inter Milan awaiting the Dutch side next month.

Borussia Dortmund progressed after a goalless draw at home to Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon sealed a 3-0 overall victory.

The competition’s leading scorer Serhou Guirassy missed a second-half penalty but it mattered for nothing in the end as last season’s runners-up were rarely troubled by Sporting.

Dortmund’s reward is a last-16 tie against Aston Villa or Lille. 

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola was deliberately underestimating the English side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16. European champions Madrid hold a 3-2 lead on City, who have struggled this season and are fourth in the Premier League, ahead of the play-off round second leg on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu. After thrashing Newcastle 4-0 on Saturday, Guardiola said English champions City have only a one percent chance of ousting the record 15-time European Cup winners.

“He does not truly think that, tomorrow I’ll ask him before the game — do you really think you’ve got a one percent chance?” Ancelotti told a news conference.

“He really thinks they’ve got more chance than that… we don’t think we have 99 percent chance.

“We think we have a small advantage that we have to take advantage of, and try to play the same game we set up in the first leg, which went well.”

Guardiola later admitted he also gave his team a bigger chance of progressing than he previously said.

“This time I lied to you,” said Guardiola.

“I always say what I think and you never believe me, but this time you are right…

“(After the first leg) nobody would have bet on us, the one percent was there, the truth is that the days pass, you get more excited, it’s not the best result for us to have taken but we will try to go through, for sure.”

Ancelotti confirmed defender Antonio Rudiger was fit to start for the holders after injury but Lucas Vazquez would only be ready for the bench.

City attackers Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish were able to train ahead of the game after injury issues and Guardiola said it was “good news” they had been able to travel to the Spanish capital.

Leave refs ‘in peace’

Ancelotti reiterated his frustration with Spanish refereeing, following some controversial decisions which went against his side in recent La Liga matches.

The Italian said he was more comfortable with refereeing in the Champions League.

“Statistics speak for themselves, in Europe there’s less controversy in this sense, there are less VAR interventions,” said Ancelotti.

“The VAR only intervenes when it’s necessary, and usually the Champions League features the best referees from each country, so the quality is very high in this sense.”

England international Jude Bellingham was sent off for dissent during Madrid’s 1-1 draw at Osasuna on Saturday in La Liga.

Bellingham’s team-mate Federico Valverde said he did not want the midfielder to change his ways.

“What I want is players who leave their soul out on the pitch, in this case with Jude in the last game, I always want him to be like that,” Valverde told reporters.

“Jude is a player who shows character, who always wants to win, who always wants to fight.

“This time he got a red card, but I like that he’s giving everything, his spikiness… we have to stay united as a team.”

The referee who dismissed Bellingham, Jose Munuera Montero, has been subject to online abuse in recent days and according to Spanish reports is being investigated over an alleged conflict of interest with links to a sports consultancy agency.

Guardiola gave his opinion on Bellingham’s dismissal.

“The problem is not the translation, it’s the intention? You have to ask Jude what intention he had… you can insult someone with a big smile and it can be nice,” said the coach.

“Have you seen they are investigating the referee now… wow, leave them in peace.

“That’s the best thing that we can do, leave them in peace.”

Guardiola, who led City to their first Champions League triumph in 2023 said his team needed to play an almost “perfect” game to progress.

“You have to make an almost perfect game, obviously the (first leg) result is not good,” added Guardiola.

“(A) bad result is not the perfect situation, we have to attack, we have to score goals. This is the idea.”

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said his side have just a one percent chance of progress to the Champions League last 16 against Real Madrid on Wednesday but the English champions’ new recruits could offer a lifeline. City blew a late 2-1 lead in the first leg of the play-off tie last week at home to lose 3-2 to the holders. That collapse was part of a wider trend this season as Guardiola’s ageing squad have struggled to last the pace, particularly when the intensity is turned up on Champions League nights.

As a consequence, City broke with their usual transfer policy to spend big in January, bringing in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez for fees totalling 170 million pounds ($214 million).

However, none of them started the first leg against Madrid. Marmoush was the only one to even make an appearance for the final few minutes off the bench, as Gonzalez and Khusanov were unused substitutes and Reis was not registered in City’s European squad.

Guardiola may now regret that decision after Marmoush, Gonzalez and Khusanov all played pivotal roles in arguably City’s best performance of the season on Saturday when Newcastle were blown away 4-0 at the Etihad.

Marmoush hogged the headlines thanks to his first-half hat-trick, finally offering City another potent scoring threat to compliment Erling Haaland.

Khusanov recovered from his nightmare Premier League debut against Chelsea last month when he gave away a goal inside three minutes and could have been sent-off shortly afterwards.

This time the Uzbek showed why City paid Lens a reported 40 million euros (33 million pounds, $42 million) for his services.

The 20-year-old’s pace helped sniff out the danger posed by Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and could be what the visitors need to combat the threat of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Guardiola, though, reserved special praise for the impact of Gonzalez in bringing the City midfield the stability they have lacked since Ballon d’Or winner Rodri suffered a serious knee injury in September.

The Barcelona academy graduate seems certain to start on his return to Spain with his manager already hailing the 23-year-old as a “mini Rodri.”

Gonzalez a game changer

“The balance of the team looks much, much better already with Gonzalez in it,” said former City defender Micah Richards.

“City have got players who can score goals and hurt Real, but he brings some stability behind them, which they will need if they are to manage the game in Madrid.

“Do they have more chance of beating Real with him in the starting 11? Without a doubt.”

Yet, even at their best during the golden years of Guardiola’s reign in Manchester, City have often found the might of Madrid too tough a nut to crack in the Champions League.

This is the fourth consecutive season the sides have met, with a 5-1 aggregate rout en route to winning the competition for the first time in 2023 City’s only success.

Three years ago they seemed to be cruising into the Paris final with a two-goal lead heading into stoppage time of the second leg before Rodrygo’s quickfire double sent the tie to extra-time and ultimately Madrid to a 14th European crown.

Last year it was penalties that got the Spanish giants over the line after City dominated the majority of two score draws in the quarter-finals.

Guardiola conceded the prospect of his side finding their best again when they need it most is unlikely.

“This season the reality is we have been miles, miles away. If you tell me that we would perform like today (against Newcastle) and finish 22nd in the Champions League (table), of course not. We would finish higher,” said the former Barcelona boss.

“The results have been poor this season. Just for one game I’m not going to change my opinion.

“If you ask anybody before that game, we have one percent but as much as we have a chance we will try. That’s for sure.”

However, a timely injection of fresh blood does give hope that a miracle in Madrid is possible.

Osasuna vs Real Madrid LIVE Streaming La Liga: When And Where To Watch© AFP

Manchester City vs Real Madrid LIVE Streaming, UEFA Champions League: For the fourth year in a row, Real Madrid will be taking on Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, with the first leg taking place at the home of the Premier League champions. Unlike the previous years, this season sees the clash take place at the pre-Round of 16 stage, with both sides having finished outside the Top 8 of the Champions League group. Real Madrid finished 11th while City finished 22nd. Los Blancos enter the game after a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in La Liga, while City beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup. Real Madrid have won in two of the clashes in the last three years against City.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid LIVE Streaming UEFA Champions League 2024-25 LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch?

When will the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match take place?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will take place on Wednesday, February 12 (IST).

Where will the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match be held?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will be held at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

What time will the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match start?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will start at 1:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will be televised live on the Sony Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match?

The Manchester City vs Real Madrid, Champions League match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website.

(All details are as per information shared by the broadcaster)

Real Madrid stumbled to a shock 1-0 defeat at struggling Espanyol on Sunday which left them leading La Liga by a single point. Carlos Romero’s 85th minute strike snatched victory for the relegation-battling hosts, provisionally 17th. Atletico Madrid pulled within a point of Los Blancos with a 2-0 win against Mallorca earlier, ahead of next weekend’s crunch derby clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid were left furious after Romero was only booked for a cynical foul on Kylian Mbappe before going on to net the winner.

However, Carlo Ancelotti’s side played far within themselves and did not do enough to take anything from what seemed on paper an inviting fixture.

“Espanyol played a very good game in my opinion, they defended very well, they did what they had to do. Could we have done more? Yes,” Ancelotti told reporters.

The Italian coach was angry about the decision not to send off Romero.

“This foul, the decision the referee and VAR took was inexplicable, everyone saw it,” continued the coach.

“It’s important to protect the players. It was a clear foul, a very ugly tackle, lucky there’s no serious injury.

“To us it’s inexplicable that they didn’t send him off.”

Romero admitted he felt bad about scything down the French superstar.

“I knew Kylian is impossible to stop when he’s running, I stopped him how I could, it was a bit ugly,” Romero told DAZN.

“I didn’t like doing it and I said sorry. That’s it and there’s no more to it.”

Espanyol largely kept the Spanish and European champions at bay in the first half.

Real Madrid were dealt a blow when Antonio Rudiger limped off in the first half, with their Champions League play-off tie against Manchester City less than a fortnight away.

Vinicius Junior found the net with Madrid’s only chance but it was ruled out after Mbappe was adjudged to have fouled his marker.

Jofre Carreras had a low shot saved by Thibaut Courtois at the other end on a rare Espanyol attack.

Madrid looked sharper at the start of the second half and Espanyol stopper Joan Garcia saved from Jude Bellingham and then Mbappe struck the post from a tight angle.

Los Blancos were furious when Romero was only booked for a cynical slide tackle from behind to hack down Mbappe as he broke over the halfway line.

Rodrygo jinked away from Romero before firing into the side netting and had another effort saved, while Garcia tipped away a vicious Mbappe strike as Madrid turned the screw.

The visitors were shocked by a swift Espanyol counter-attack which led to the breakthrough, with Omar El Hilali crossing for Romero to volley home at the back post.

Los Blancos did not create much danger in seven minutes of added time and Espanyol’s fans celebrated with abandon when Mbappe lashed over a late effort to end the game.

“This win is so important for us, we had to suffer… we knew we had to do it in front of our fans,” added Romero.

‘Very happy’

Atletico Madrid secured a comfortable win over Mallorca to put the pressure on, ahead of Real’s match.

Samuel Lino slid home in the 26th minute after a strong driving run by Giuliano Simeone, son of Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone.

Antoine Griezmann, who started the game on the bench, produced a superb lobbed finish to net the second in stoppage time and delight the Metropolitano stadium.

Atletico coach Simeone was able to celebrate his 500th La Liga match with the three points.

“I’m very happy for this journey, no doubt… it makes me very happy,” he told reporters.

The Rojiblancos dominated the first half with Julian Alvarez impressing and Alexander Sorloth going close before Lino sent them ahead.

Mallorca, seventh, forged some chances of their own after the break in a tighter second period which was finally settled when Griezmann struck with a delightful chip.

On Sunday Barcelona, third, host Alaves as they try to keep on the tail of the top two.

Espanyol vs Real Madrid LIVE Streaming, La Liga 2024-25: La Liga leaders Real Madrid take on relegation-battling Espanyol in their 22nd league game of the season. Real Madrid are in red-hot form, having won five games in a row in all competitions, and enter the game with a four-point lead at the top of La Liga. Forwards Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo have enjoyed great form in recent weeks, while Vinicius Jr is also expected to re-enter the playing XI after missing the midweek Champions League tie against Brest due to suspension. Espanyol sit in 18th spot, having managed only 20 points from their 21 games so far. Earlier in the season, Real Madrid beat Espanyol 4-1.

Espanyol vs Real Madrid LIVE Streaming details, La Liga 2024-25 LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch?

When will the Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match take place?

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match will take place on Sunday, February 2 (IST).

Where will the Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match be held?

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match will be held at the RCDE Stadium, Barcelona.

What time will the Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match start?

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match will start at 1:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match?

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match will not be televised live in India.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match?

The Espanyol vs Real Madrid, La Liga match will not be live streamed in India due to technical issues faced by broadcasters GXR World this weekend. In USA, watch the match on Fubo (free trial), or catch it on ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, DirecTV Stream.

(All details are as per information shared by the broadcaster)

Reigning champions Real Madrid will face 2023 winners Manchester City in the plum tie of the play-off round of this season’s Champions League, following Friday’s draw. It is the fourth year running in which the sides have been drawn against each other in a knockout tie, with Real emerging victorious in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals last season. City, who scraped through after finishing 22nd in the league phase in this first season of the new format for Europe’s elite club competition, knew they faced a tough draw with Bayern Munich their other possible opponents.

Pep Guardiola’s team will be at home in the first leg before going to Spain for the return.

“It feels like a derby already,” Guardiola said at a press conference on Friday.

“Four years in a row facing Real Madrid. But Bayern or Madrid — both was really tough. Hopefully we can arrive in the first leg here, and then at Madrid, as best as possible.”

Real won a dramatic semi-final tie on the way to lifting the trophy in 2022, but City gained revenge at the same stage in 2023 as they went on to become champions.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side then came out on top last season, while Real won a semi-final tie between the sides in 2016 and City won in the last 16 in 2020.

“We know each other very well,” said Emilio Butragueno, Real’s director of institutional relations, to Spanish media.

“They are a really great team who have the experience and are used to these types of games, so they will be very difficult opponents.

“But this competition is very special for us and we will play the second leg at home, at the Bernabeu.”

Elsewhere, Celtic will face six-time European champions Bayern, after the Scottish champions reached the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years.

All-French tie

Paris Saint-Germain will play surprise package Brest in an all-French tie, while Juventus play PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord take on AC Milan in two ties between former winners of the competition.

Last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, who finished one place outside the top eight which offered a direct path to the last 16, will face Club Brugge of Belgium.

Sporting of Portugal were drawn against last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund, while Monaco will take on Benfica having lost at home to the Portuguese club in the league phase. 

The play-off ties will take place next month, with the eight winners going through to the last 16 along with the eight highest-placed sides from the league phase.

Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa are the sides already through to the last 16.

Those teams finished in the top eight in the standings in the 36-team league phase — the first season of the new format for the competition saw all competing clubs placed together in one giant pool, each playing eight games against eight different opponents.

The draw for the remainder of the competition is partly pre-determined, meaning that whoever emerges triumphant in the tie between City and Real knows they will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

The draw for the last 16 onwards will take place on February 21, and it remains to be seen if Liverpool derive any advantage from having come first in the league phase.

Arne Slot’s team will play either PSG or Brest, or Monaco or Benfica, in the last 16 in March. 

This season’s Champions League final will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Saturday, May 31.

Jude Bellingham insisted Real Madrid would be ready for whoever they have to face in the Champions League play-offs and that the reigning champions are “starting to click” after their 3-0 win in Brest on Wednesday. Bellingham scored Real’s second goal in between a double strike from Rodrygo as the Spanish giants proved too strong for the French upstarts in Guingamp. It was a third straight win to finish the league phase of the Champions League for Real after they started with three defeats in their first five outings, and that poor start is what led to them coming 11th in the standings.

They finished a point outside the top eight places which offered direct qualification for the last 16, and therefore enter Friday’s draw for the extra play-off round.

They already know that they will face either Manchester City or Celtic in the play-offs in February, with the winners over two legs advancing to the last 16 in March.

“It was important to get the win and finish the group stage strong. I think we probably let ourselves down in a few of the games and that is the reason why we have ended up” in the play-offs, Bellingham told UEFA.com.

“No problem, we’ll try and face whatever obstacle comes with a better face and you can see that we are definitely starting to click as a team in the last few weeks.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have won their last five matches in all competitions since a 5-2 pasting at the hands of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on January 12.

Rodrygo opened the scoring against Brest just before the half-hour mark for Real with a low shot across goalkeeper Marco Bizot and in off the far post, moments after the Brazilian had a header expertly saved.

Mbappe scoring run ends

The visitors were missing Vinicius Junior through suspension and Kylian Mbappe was not on scoring form, having previously netted eight times in the last five games.

But that didn’t matter, as Real survived seeing Brest’s Ludovic Ajorque have a goal disallowed for a tight offside just after half-time before they went 2-0 ahead on 56 minutes.

Bellingham, the player of the match, sparked a breakaway and then arrived in the box to finish off Lucas Vazquez’s low centre.

Rodrygo then scored again on 78 minutes, claiming a brace in a second straight Champions League game, after Mbappe’s shot was saved.

“I think we overlook who scores the goals and that kind of thing because we know that each game it will be someone else, whether it’s Rodrygo’s two and me one tonight, whether it’s Kylian with three the other day,” Bellingham added.

“Someone will always step up with a bit of individual brilliance and the rest of us will focus on the organisation of the team.

“That is maybe what we lacked in a few of the early group games but it seems to be getting better over the last few weeks.”

Real qualified from the league phase despite defeats against Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool, and Bellingham gave the new format a thumbs up overall.

“It has been nice playing more teams of a higher quality and a real mixed group of teams from all over Europe. It’s nice to have a bit more jeopardy,” he said.

Brest are also through to the play-off round after a memorable first ever European campaign which has seen them finish 18th in the table, above the likes of Juventus and Manchester City, despite losing their last two games.

They will play either French rivals Paris Saint-Germain or Benfica in the next round.

“We want to keep going, make even more history than we have already, and if we can continue to get results, why not,” said Bizot.

Real Madrid enter their final game of the UEFA Champions League group stage with a narrow chance of making the Top 8, which would guarantee automatic qualification to the Round of 16. The defending champions currently sit on 12 points, one point behind Bayer Leverkusen who occupy 8th spot. Their opponents Stade Brestois are also on 13 points, and themselves have a chance at the Top 8 should they snatch an upset win over the 15-time champions. Real Madrid will be without star forward Vinicius Jr, who is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

Real Madrid vs Brest LIVE Streaming details UEFA Champions League LIVE Telecast: Check Where and How to Watch?

When will the Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match take place?

The Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match will take place on Thursday, January 30 (IST).

Where will the Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match be held?

The Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match will be held at the Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp.

What time will the Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match start?

The Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match will start at 1:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will show the live telecast of the Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match?

The Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match will be televised live on the Sony Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match?

The Real Madrid vs Brest, UEFA Champions League match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)