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The Champions League knockout stage is well underway, with Real Madrid vs Man City being one of the most exciting fixtures on the cards. Widely considered the two best teams in modern-day football, the heavyweights will meet for the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 20, 2025. With Real Madrid taking the first encounter 2-1, City needs a win to progress, knocking out Los Blancos in the process. Real is no slouch either, and is eager to add the 16th UCL to their coffers.
Hence, before the epic matchup at the Bernabeu, gamers might want to get an essence of both teams' conditions via simulation of a match between them. This article will help them determine the better team ahead of the Real Madrid vs Man City matchup.
Note: Several aspects of this article are subjective, and the real-life strategies used by both teams on the pitch might not be similar.
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Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Which team is better?
Although Real Madrid and Manchester City share similar formations, the two squads have different playstyles, which makes the gameplay more exciting. In this section, we'll mainly compare players with the highest EA FC 25 within the squad.
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Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Attackers comparison
Real Madrid's front three features one of the best-attacking lineups in current-gen football. French attacker Kylian Mbappe (97 Pace and 92 Dribbling) leads the lineup with an advanced forward role. Meanwhile, the Brazilian duo Vinicius Junior (95 Pace and 91 Dribbling) and Rodrygo (89 Pace and 88 Dribbling) help the Frenchman from the left and right sides of the wing, respectively.
Man City's attacking lineup also features three promising players. Norwegian beast Erling Haaland (88 Pace and 92 Shooting) leads the lineup with a poacher role. On top of that, two bright Englishmen, Jack Grealish (82 Passing and 88 Dribbling) and Phil Foden (86 Pace and 86 Shooting,) join the forward line from the left and right-wing area of the virtual pitch, respectively.
Overall, The Los Blancos seem to have a better attacking depth than Man City's front three.
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Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Midfielders comparison
Real Madrid's midfield lineup is full of potential featuring heavy-weight current-gen talents: Jude Bellingham (87 Shooting and 88 Dribbling) and Fede Valverde (88 Pace and 84 Physicality) as CMs. Both midfielders operate as box-to-box players to help the team in defense and attacking areas. Luka Modric (88 Passing and 87 Dribbling) also takes a defensive approach with the holding role.
On the other hand, the Man City squad has an experienced trio, featuring Kevin De Bruyne (94 Passing and 87 Dribbling), Bernardo Silva (86 Passing and 92 Dribbling), and Rodri (87 Defending and 86 Passing).
While De Bruyne operates as a playmaker to provide incisive passes inside the opponent's penalty box, Silva approaches the wing areas as a half-winger. Meanwhile, the 2024 Ballon d'Or Rodri plays as the pivot player with a deep-lying playmaker role.
Even though both squads have great depth in their midfield area, the Blues possess an upper hand in terms of attributes.
Also read: Carlos Alberto WW Icon SBC
Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Defenders comparison
The Los Blancos features a few of the best defenders in the European scene. On the virtual pitch, Antonio Rudiger (82 Pace and 86 Defending) and Eder Militao (85 Pace and 85 Defending) act as the center-backs in the game.
Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy (89 Pace and 85 Physicaliy) and Dani Carvajal (81 Dribbling and 81 Defending) are promising side-backs who can pose extra threats on the opponent's final third area.
Man City's defense line also features some experienced defenders of the Europe region: John Stones (79 Dribbling and 85 Defending) and Ruben Dias (89 Defending and 87 Physicality). Both are solid CBs who can stop any incoming threat from the Los Blancos' attacking trio.
On top of that, Josko Gvardiol (83 Defending and 83 Physicality) and Rico Lewis (78 Pace and 81 Dribbling) are both reliable fullbacks on the virtual pitch.
Real Madrid's squad has the better defensive depth compared to the Blues.
Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Goalkeeper comparison
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois (88 Positioning and 90 Reflexes) has the upper hand over Man City's Ederson (86 Positioning and 87 Reflexes) in several aspects such as ball handling, positioning, and reflexes.
Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Tactics and formation comparison
Real Madrid operates on a classic 4-3-3 Holding formation with a CDM as a holding player to maintain the defensive depth. They maintain counter build-up with a highly defensive approach.
Man City takes a similar approach, following a classic 4-3-3 Holding formation with a high defensive approach. However, they operate on a short passing build-up style.
Real Madrid vs Man City in EA FC 25: Final Verdict
Although the competition seemed pretty tough, gamers might opt for the Los Blancos to get the best results in the Real Madrid vs Man City matchup. The Spanish squad appears to be more potent than the English side in several aspects, especially the attack and defense line.
For more head-to-head articles, check out Sportskeeda's EA FC 25 page.
