Rephrase the title:Real Madrid vs Man City head to head history and all Champions League matches over the years

Real Madrid and Manchester City will play out the latest instalment of a burgeoning Champions League rivalry in the quarterfinals of the 2023/24 competition.

These teams met at this stage of the tournament in 2023, with a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu followed by an astonishing performance from City in the return fixture, their 4-0 win sending them into the final, where they beat Inter Milan.

Madrid and City will now meet once more over two legs in 2024, knowing that a semifinal clash with Arsenal or Bayern Munich looms for the winner. There is even a prospect of a Clasico final, with Barcelona placed on the other side of the draw in the March 15 ceremony in Nyon.

The Sporting News looks back at the history of this matchup between the most successful team in the competition’s history and the side bidding to win an unprecedented second treble in a row in English football.

MORE: The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal and semifinal draw in full

Real Madrid vs Man City history, previous meetings

The sides first met amid the relatively low stakes of the 2012/13 group stage before a semifinal showdown in 2016.

There was a knockout tie in 2020, with the two legs separated by an unprecedented six months due to the coronavirus lockdown, before an unforgettable semifinal epic.

Real Madrid vs Man City head to head

In total, these teams have met 10 times in this competition. Real Madrid have won three games, Manchester City have won four games, and three have ended in draws.

City won their first Champions League title in 2023 under Pep Guardiola. Madrid have won the tournament a record 14 times in their history.

MORE: Teams with the most UEFA Champions League titles

Real Madrid vs Man City (2012 Group Stage)

The clubs played out a thriller in the Santiago Bernabeu, with goalkeeper Joe Hart keeping City in the game before Edin Dzeko gave them the lead with an hour played after a surging Yaya Toure breakaway.

Marcelo levelled with a deflected strike, only for Aleksandar Kolarov to curl home a free kick from the right.

But, in a sting in the tale to foreshadow what would unfold between the teams almost a decade later, Karim Benzema equalised before Cristiano Ronaldo fired a last-gasp winner to snatch a 3-2 triumph. Madrid boss Jose Mourinho ripped his suit doing a knee-slide celebration on the pitch.

In the return game, City were eliminated from the group stage for the second season in succession. Benzema put Madrid ahead before City, needing a win to maintain their chances of progressing, levelled through a Sergio Aguero penalty and it finished 1-1.

Real Madrid vs Man City (2016 Semifinals)

City received a boost ahead of their first Champions League semifinal when Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of the first leg in Manchester.

That was the first of two turgid games that were settled by City midfielder Fernando putting through his own goal in the Bernabeu — the only goal in either leg.

Madrid went on to win the first of three Champions Leagues in a row under Zinedine Zidane when they defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties in Milan.

Real Madrid vs Man City (2020 Round of 16)

City performed masterfully in a striker-less formation in Madrid, only to fall behind against the run of play when Isco broke the deadlock during the second half.

Guardiola sent on Raheem Sterling from the bench and reverted to a more conventional setup, with Kevin De Bruyne crossing for Gabriel Jesus to equalise. Sterling was then brought down by Dani Carvajal for De Bruyne to seal a 2-1 first-leg advantage from the penalty spot.

That game was in February 2020 and unprecedented circumstances meant the Manchester leg taking place behind closed doors in August. Sterling gave City an early lead and Jesus made sure of progression to the truncated finals tournament in Lisbon — where City collapsed in a heap against Lyon —- after Benzema equalised on the night.

Real Madrid vs Man City (2022 Semifinals)

Benzema honestly seems to relish games between these two teams and he almost single-handedly kept Madrid in this tie after De Bruyne and Jesus opened up an early 2-0 lead in Manchester.

Riyad Mahrez missed a glorious chance for a third and Benzema reduced the arrears before halftime. Afterwards, goals from Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were split by a sensational solo goal from Vinicius Junior. Aymeric Laporte’s late handball and a nerve-less Panenka penalty from Benzema ensured City only took a 4-3 advantage to Madrid.

A cagey clash at the Bernabeu looked to have been settled when Mahrez crowned an excellent City break late in the second half. But Madrid’s taste for logic-defying Champions League comebacks again came to the fore as a brace from substitute Rodrygo forced extra time.

A more conventional Benzema spot kick in the additional period was enough to break City hearts.

Real Madrid vs Man City (2023 Semifinals)

City headed into the encounter at the Bernabeu this time around with a different beast in their corner: Erling Haaland. Yet the Norwegian, who already had 51 goals to his name for the season, was unusually quiet by his standards as Antonio Rudiger kept him quiet. City dominated the early exchanges but it was Real who took the lead on 36 minutes with a stunning strike from Vinicius Jr. on the edge of the box.

The second leg was a different story. Bernardo Silva gave City a deserved lead, and they proceeded to dominate every step of the way to a 4-0 victory, Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez netting in the second half after Silva had scored his second.