City's home run offers glimmer of hope

Manchester City FC have their backs to the wall as they welcome Real Madrid CF. Bottom of Group D with two points, five behind their opponents, the English champions must win to avoid a second successive group stage elimination. A win or draw could take second-placed Madrid through depending on the AFC Ajax-Borussia Dortmund result.

• Only twice before in the UEFA Champions League have teams recovered to qualify from a position like City's: FC Lokomotiv Moskva (one point after four games) in 2002/03 and FC Porto (two points) in 2004/05.

Match background
• After fighting back to draw with Dortmund and Ajax, City are unbeaten in 19 home European matches since a 1-0 loss to FC Midtjylland in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round.

• City's home record against Spanish clubs is W2 D1 L0. They overcame Villarreal CF 2-1 last season thanks to Sergio Agüero's added-time goal.

• Madrid won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur FC on their last visit to England, Cristiano Ronaldo sealing a 5-0 aggregate win in the 2010/11 quarter-finals.

• Madrid are making their fifth visit to Manchester. They have faced Manchester United FC four times, winning once, their most recent trip a 4-3 defeat in the 2002/03 quarter-finals when the Brazilian Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for a 6-4 aggregate success. Overall, Madrid's record in England is W4 D2 L5.

Team ties
• José Mourinho's FC Porto beat Roberto Mancini's S.S. Lazio 4-1 on aggregate in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup semi-finals. Mourinho replaced Mancini as FC Internazionale Milano coach in 2008.

• Mourinho suffered his first defeat as Chelsea FC manager away to City – 1-0 in October 2004 – but ended with a record of W4 D1 L1 against them. He has a good UEFA Champions League record against English clubs, starting with Porto's 3-2 aggregate success against Manchester United in the 2003/04 round of 16. His Inter side lost to United (0-2 agg) in 2008/09 but beat Chelsea (3-1 agg) in 2009/10, both in the last 16. In 2010/11, Mourinho oversaw Madrid's defeat of Tottenham.

• As a UC Sampdoria player, Mancini lost the 1988/89 European Cup Winners' Cup and the 1991/92 European Champion Clubs' Cup finals against FC Barcelona. He helped Lazio defeat RCD Mallorca 2-1 to claim the 1998/99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. As a coach, Mancini's Inter were eliminated from the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Villarreal.

• City assistant manager Brian Kidd helped Manchester United overcome Madrid in the 1967/68 European Champion Clubs' Cup semi-finals.

• Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in 11 derbies for United against City, winning seven and losing three. He scored four goals but was twice sent off at the City of Manchester Stadium.

• Álvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso (both Liverpool FC), Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien (both Chelsea) and Luka Modrić (Tottenham) also faced City in the Premier League. Modrić's Tottenham won 1-0 at City in May 2010 to earn UEFA Champions League qualification at their opponents' expense. Arbeloa's own goal gave City a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in February 2009.

• Javi García made 18 Liga appearances for Madrid before joining SL Benfica in 2009.

• Scott Sinclair (Chelsea) and Maicon (Inter) have both played under Mourinho.

• Agüero's Club Atlético de Madrid failed to win a single derby against Madrid despite scoring three goals, suffering eight defeats in 11 attempts.

• Twice a Spanish champion with Barcelona, Yaya Touré appeared five times against Madrid, winning three times and losing twice.

• David Silva (RC Celta de Vigo, Valencia CF) and Pablo Zabaleta (RCD Espanyol) have also played in Spain.

• Karim Benzema took on Joe Hart, Joleon Lescott and James Milner in France's 1-1 group draw with England at UEFA EURO 2012, Samir Nasri equalising for Les Bleus. Alonso hit both goals in Spain's quarter-final defeat of a France side including Benzema, Nasri and Gaël Clichy.

• Mario Balotelli's Italy met Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Alonso, Arbeloa and Silva twice at UEFA EURO 2012, the 1-1 group stage draw and Spain's 4-0 final triumph.