Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of Manchester City's Champions League trip to Real Madrid this evening.
In truth, it's the match that everybody has been looking forward to since the draw was made last month as the champions of Spain play host to the champions of England.
Having wrestled the La Liga title away from Barcelona last season, Real coach Jose Mourinho now has his eyes set firmly on becoming the first coach to win the Champions League with three different clubs.
Meanwhile, City boss Roberto Mancini has expressed his eagerness for his side to get beyond the group stages this time around.
Neither team will want to get off to a losing start, that's for sure. You won't miss a kick with our coverage.
90 minI'm speechless! What a last 15 minutes we've had. Ronaldo drills in right footed from a tight angle. Hart's view is blocked by Kompany and the ball squirms into the net. He celebrates this time all right! As does Mourinho. Fantastic stuff. Can City respond?
90 minGOAL! Real Madrid 3-2 Man City (Ronaldo)
87 minWhat a fantastic game! In their very first attack after going behind, Madrid are back level! And what a goal. Benzema turns brilliantly on the edge of the box and slots the ball past Hart at his near post. Cracking match. This is what the Champions League is all about.
86 minGOAL! Real Madrid 2-2 Man City (Benzema)
85 minUnbelievable! City have been battered since Madrid equalised and yet they lead again in the Bernabeu. Kolorov is the scorer, as his free-kick bounces into the net following a slight knick off Xabi Alonso. Casillas was stranded. Five minutes to go!
85 minGOAL! Real Madrid 1-2 Man City (Kolorov)
84 min...But again Ronaldo clears. He's done more in the Madrid box than City's this half!
83 minCorner to Man City...
81 minCHANCE! Patient work from Madrid sees Ronaldo free Modric on the edge of the box. The Croatian curls an effort towards goal, but Hart is able to hold.
79 minOzil is making a real difference for Madrid now. His little touches are beginning to find holes in the City rearguard.
77 minCHANCE! Oh my word! Zabaleta almost puts City back in front but he cannot make a connection to a drilled delivery. What a game we have now.
76 minAt one end Toure misses a glorious chance to put City 2-0 up. Real immediately attack and the Brazilian full-back curls in a delightful shot from the edge of the box with his weaker right foot. Hart had no chance.
75 minGOAL! Real Madrid 1-1 Man City (Marcelo)
74 minCHANCE! Just prior to those subs, City almost made it 2-0. Kolorov drilled in a shot from the left which was parried by Casillas. Tevez was inches away from tucking in the rebound.
73 minSUBSTITUTION: Benzema and Modric on for Madrid in place of Khedira and Higuain. Meanwhile, for City Maicon hobbles off to be replaced by Zabaleta.
71 minIt really was great work from Toure for the goal. The man is a machine when he gets going. He can turn defence into attack with three or four strides. 19 minutes for City to hang on.
69 minBOOKING! Skipper Kompany cautioned for obstructing Ronaldo.
69 minWhere on earth did that come from?! Toure breaks free brilliantly into the Madrid half and feeds Dzeko. The Bosnian takes one touch to steady himself before guiding the ball past Casillas from 12 yards out.
68 minGOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Man City (Dzeko)
65 minCHANCE! I've never seen Marcelo shoot so often! Again it's from distance and again it's only just off target.
64 minSUBSTITUTION: An off the pace Essien is replaced by Ozil for Madrid.
62 min...And Ronaldo rises highest to head clear to show that he is capable in both boxes.
62 minSUBSTITUTION: That will actually be Silva's last contribution. He's replaced by Edin Dzeko. Free-kick coming up...
61 minMeanwhile, City have a free-kick in a dangerous area wide on the left as Silva is hacked down by Varane. Can they make this count?
59 minCHANCE! Ambitious dig from distance by Marcelo flies just wide of Hart's upright. Not sure the goalkeeper would have reached that had it been on target. Madrid now well on top.
56 minCHANCE! A great driven cross from Marcelo is hacked clear by Clichy, who was facing his own goal inside the six-yard box. He did well not to find his own net there.
54 min...but Garcia can only head over from the resultant cross.
53 minMan City have a corner as Toure's shot deflects wide of the target...
51 minBOOKING! City's Garcia goes into the book for a sliding challenge on Khedira. Looked harsh on first viewing.
50 minCHANCE! First of the half for Madrid falls to Marcelo following a cross from Higuain. The full-back fails to convert from a narrow angle though.
48 minVery little to report from the opening few moments. City have just had a break that ended with Kolorov inexplicably running the ball out of play.
8.47pmRight, here come the players. 45 minutes stand between City and a decent result here. They'll get us underway...
8.45pmSo, with the second half moments away, what changes could Mancini make? I'd personally be looking to swap Maicon for Pablo Zabaleta. The full-back has really struggled to deal with Ronaldo. Perhaps introducing Aguero (fitness permitting) at some point as well may be beneficial.
8.34pmWhile you wait for the second half, why not read our half-time report of the action from the Bernabeu? Go on, you know you want to!
8.32pmWell, Madrid may have had all of the ball but City are still hanging on in there. Mancini will pleased with the way that goalkeeper Hart has played in particular. Not sure Mourinho will be as happy. His side have failed to convert their chances, two of which were particularly easy.
8.31pmHALF-TIME: Real Madrid 0-0 Man City
45+1 minCHANCE! Di Maria tries his luck from distance but Hart watches the ball harmlessly float wide.
45 minOne minute of stoppage time to be played...
40 minCHANCE! Meanwhile up the other end Higuain misses an absolute sitter. Di Maria sends over a cross which leaves Hart and Kompany waiting for one another. Higuain reacts but only to volley over from five yards out. Very poor finish from the Argentine.
38 minCHANCE! A real opportunity from City goes begging. Yaya Toure bursts through the midfield with a trademark run. However, his pass goes behind Silva on the edge of the area and the Spaniard is crowded out. A better pass and City could have been in business.
36 minSUBSTITUTION: Aleksandar Kolorov takes the place of the hamstrung Nasri. Not exactly the most attacking swap from Mancini.
34 minLooks like it could be game over for Nasri. The Frenchman has picked up a leg injury and he won't continue...
31 minKhedira's performance so far has made me wonder why on earth Modric or Ozil has not started. The German has found himself in good attacking positions that are alien to him. There is no doubt that the benched duo would make more of the opportunity. Anyway, look at me, questioning Jose Mourinho!
29 minFrom one looker to another, Carlos Tevez is a real passenger for City at the moment. He's finding himself extremely isolated. When he gets the ball to feet, he usually has the company of three or four Madrid defenders. Silva and Nasri need to get forward more often.
25 minTalking of that hair, I've just realised whose it reminds me of! If he were to stick a little bit up, it would be a carbon copy of Cameron Diaz's from that scene in There's Something About Mary. Can you tell not a lot is happening at the moment?!
24 minAfter all that good work, Hart almost goes and blows it. His attempted clearance hits Ronaldo on the backside, but luckily for Hart the ball bounces off for a goal-kick. Also for Ronaldo, lucky that it didn't damage his hair!
21 minCHANCE! Quite how Madrid are not in front is beyond me. First Higuain is denied by Hart from close range. Ronaldo drills in the rebound for Sami Khedira, who somehow turns the ball over from six yards out. Big escape for City.
19 minFirst meaningful attack for City ends with Maicon's cross being easily cleared.
15 minJust seen a replay of that second Ronaldo chance and it actually clips the head of Gonzalo Higuain on the way through. It makes Hart's reactions even better. Brilliant stuff from the England number one.
12 minSAVE! This is becoming a bit of a personal duel. Ronaldo again cuts inside and his swerving effort is pushed out by Hart. CR7 is getting far too much at present.
10 minHave to say that wasn't the greatest piece of defending from City. They isolated Kompany with Ronaldo. Not sure the Portuguese attacker will let them off a second time.
8 minSAVE! What a cracking stop from Hart. Ronaldo jinks past Vincent Kompany inside the area and his shot appears goalbound. Hart has other ideas though and tips the ball around the post.
6 minMadrid are in complete control of the possession at the moment. Every time City do get the ball, they're giving it away cheaply. That will need to change if they are to avoid defeat here.
3 minAnd how right was I!? Got to admit that I wasn't expecting his second effort that quickly but the man is full of surprises. He cuts inside from the right and lashes a shot across the face of Hart's goal. That was closer without troubling the England stopper.
2 minRonaldo has his first effort of the match, but it goes well wide. You get the impression that it won't be the last time that he takes aim at Joe Hart's goal this evening.
1 minMadrid get us underway...
7.43pmHaving said that, there does seem to be a few empty seats at the moment, which is surprising. No room in the City end though, they've sold out their allocation.
7.41pmHere come the players. The atmosphere inside the Bernabeu is electric this evening.
7.37pmBack to our match and Rio Ferdinand has made it clear who he is supporting tonight on Twitter: "Hoping to be entertained by @Cristiano tonight!!" Rio loves a tweet or two doesn't he.
7.34pmAnd not a bad seven-a-side team according to my colleague Matt Law! Talking of Mr Law, he's currently covering Arsenal's trip to Montpellier here. We don't half spoil you here at Sports Mole!
7.30pmAlthough with a bench like Madrid have this evening, City will do well to come away with anything. Adan, Ramos, Coentrao, Kaka, Benzema, Ozil and Modric will all start the encounter in the dugout. That's just scary!
7.28pmWith just over 15 minutes to go until the off, why not give our preview of the encounter a read courtesy of Danielle Joynson. She's backed City to come away with a point. I'm sure Bobby Mancini would take that sort of result right now.
7.26pmAnd there is what City are putting on to the pitch. As mentioned earlier, giving a 19-year-old a debut in the Bernabeu must be a real kick in the teeth to England international Lescott.
7.25pmMan City X1: Hart; Clichy, Kompany, Nastasic, Maicon; Y Toure, Nasri, Barry, Silva, Garcia; Tevez
7.24pmAt last, confirmation from UEFA! Better late than never. Sergio Ramos surprisingly drops to the bench for Real Madrid. He will be joined by former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric. Chelsea loanee Michael Essien starts.
7.23pmReal Madrid X1: Casillas; Arbeloa, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Khedira, Essien, Xabi Alonso; Di Maria, Higuain, Ronaldo
7.18pmUEFA have reportedly handed out two lineups for both sides. Makes you wonder how they ever manage to organise anything!! Also a lot of confusion over the Madrid team. Some say Essien starts, some say he doesn't! Hoping to have clarification asap.
7.15pmThere is some real confusion inside the Bernabeu at the moment. According to the team sheets, Mario Balotelli and James Milner are not even in the squad. If true, that's strange! Still awaiting official confirmation.
7.13pmAfter all of that, it does appear that Matija Nastasic will make his debut for the Citizens. What a place for the 19-year-old to have his first outing. Will it backfire? Penny for Joleon Lescott's thoughts while we're at it.
7.07pmCORRECTION: Hart; Clichy, Kompany, Nastasic, Maicon; Y Toure, Nasri, Barry, Silva, Garcia; Tevez (according to Man City's Twitter page) Will aim to confirm shortly.
7.03pmSo, no Sergio Aguero for City then. The Argentine has been suffering with a knee injury since the opening day of the season and is forced to settle for a place on the bench. Midfielder Gareth Barry has been passed fit though.
7.02pmMan City X1: Hart; Maicon, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Yaya Toure, Barry; Silva, Nasri; Tevez, Balotelli
6.59pmOr maybe not! It appears that UEFA made a mistake with the original team list. The second edition now has Joleon Lescott included at the expense of Nastasic, which makes more sense to be honest. Full lineups coming up...
6.56pmBREAKING TEAM NEWS: Defender Matija Nastasic is handed his Manchester City debut.
6.55pmAll of which could give City a decent chance of coming away from the Bernabeu with a positive result. Sorry City fans - that's all I've got!
6.50pmNot forgetting the well-documented unhappiness of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Quite how you could not be happy playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football for a jaw-dropping amount of money is beyond me, but there you go!
6.48pmAfter all, Jose Mourinho's side are not exactly pulling up many trees domestically. They are currently 11th in the La Liga table with four games gone and last time out lost 1-0 to Sevilla.
6.45pmAnd this may sound daft, but if there is a good time to be facing Real in their own backyard, it's now!
6.43pmYes their group is extremely tough on paper. But trips to Madrid, Dortmund and Amsterdam are some of the biggest you can make in European football. After all, how long have they waited for these type of matches?
6.41pmFrom a City point of view, it probably couldn't be a more difficult start to the competition (perhaps going to Barcelona maybe). But at the same, their supporters really should be embracing it.
6.37pmEvening everyone. Well, what a game we have in store this evening. The best team in Spain last year taking on the best that England has to offer. Could it get any better?
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
