Real Madrid vs Man City: Throwback to Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema scoring against City

The Real Madrid vs Man City clash at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the Champions League on Wednesday night (Thursday morning IST) is amongst the most anticipated matches of this year's competition. Ahead of the match, these two teams have an interesting head to head record in the competition. Across four previous Real Madrid vs Man City meetings in the Champions League, the Los Blancos have outclassed Manchester City twice but never lost against the English opposition.

Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema will be hoping to find the back of the net once again for Real Madrid vs Man City in the Round of 16 clashes. Catch the UCL live on Sony Ten 2 on February 27 at 1:30 AM IST.

Man City 4 - Real Madrid 3: Champions League 2012/13 group D 

The first Real Madrid vs Man City encounter took place back in September 2012 and there was no shortage of entertainment at the Santiago Bernabeu as the home side came out on top in a dramatic five-goal thriller. Man City took the lead twice through Edin Dzeko and Aleksander Kolarov in the second half but goals from Marcelo and Karim Benzema levelled proceedings in the 86th minute. However, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had the last say in the game and earned Madrid the three points with a late winner.

In the reverse fixture at the Etihad, Karim Benzema got the away goal for Real Madrid with the easiest of tap ins from Angel Di Maria's cross but Sergio Aguero's spot-kick meant that the two teams shared the spoils in the end. Real Madrid went on to top the Group while Man City remained the only team that failed to record a win in the Champions League Group D.

Real Madrid 1 - Man City 0 - Champions League 2015/16 semi-finals

Having won the Champions League in 2014 after a 12-year long wait, Real Madrid had an affinity for the European Cup. A great opportunity to make it into the 2016 Champions League final was on hand if they got past Man City in the semifinals. The then world-record signing Gareth Bale was in the Real Madrid squad and the Welshman proved to be the difference between the two sides.

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The first leg of the semi-final was held at the Etihad Stadium but that game ended in a stalemate as Joe Hart kept Man City in the competition. Gareth Bale managed to get past his marker on more than a few occasions but his crossing was below par. Strangely enough, even Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to beat the English goalkeeper.

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However, in the second leg of the Real Madrid vs Man City game, it took just over 20 minutes for the Whites to take the lead. The home side was dominating most of the possession and Dani Carvajal slipped the ball into Gareth Bale on the left-hand side of the pitch. The pacey winger then fired in a cross but Gareth Bale's effort was deflected off Fernando and the ball looped into the top corner of the net beyond Joe Hart.

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Real Madrid vs Man City: Gareth Bale out to prove a point

The tensions between Gareth Bale and Zinedine Zidane are quite apparent and the 30-year-old will be looking to win back the Real Madrid faithful as well having tarnished his reputation in the recent past. The Wales captain has aided Real Madrid to win four Champions League titles and along with Karim Benzema in Zidane's attack, the duo could link up well for Real Madrid vs Man City. 

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IMAGE CREDIT: GARETH BALE INSTAGRAM