Manchester City v Real Madrid Betting Tips
Manchester City's hopes of winning the Champions League are hanging by a thread. They left the competition at the hands of Real Madrid last season and it could be a case of history repeating. In the space of twenty-two minutes, Federico Valverde plundered a first-half hat-trick and there was a second-half penalty that Vinny Junior failed to convert.
Perhaps that Gianluigi Donnarumma save might end up being the tie's turning point. Pep Guardiola's side are warm favourites to win this second leg clash. They are trading around the 1.50 mark for a normal time success, implying that there's a 66% chance that they land a victory on the night.
However, the bookies take a different view when it comes to the qualification market. Odds of 5.00 means there's only a 20% chance of them going through to the quarter finals in the eyes of the bookmakers. It's hardly a surprise when you consider the scale of the task that they face against one of the best teams in Europe.
Perhaps there's a case for backing Real Madrid to win at the Etihad Stadium. They're a massive price to claim a second leg victory and might benefit from the opposition having to force the issue. They had an XG of 2.59 in the first leg compared to their opponents' 0.56 and that was without the injured Kylian Mbappe.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will return to England firmly in favour when it comes to interim manager Alvaro Arbeloa. Brahim Diaz and Vinicius Junior are likely to operate as a front two and should pose problems for a back line that really creaked despite the prowess of Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi.
Real's best form of defence could be attack and there's some value in betting on a draw considering that the two teams might trade blows at the Etihad Stadium.
Goals Under/Over
There were Over 2.5 Goals at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and the bookies forecast that the same thing will happen here. It may be that we'll see a really free-scoring clash and you can get odds of around 2.20 that there are Over 3.5 Goals. There's even a case for pushing things further and going for the 3.75 that there are Over 4.5 Goals. We're likely to see plenty of end-to-end action.
After all, City need to attack. They need to score three normal time goals to even have a chance of taking the tie into extra-time. Real Madrid's approach can surely not be a defensive one. Conceding an early goal at the Etihad Stadium will certainly put them on the back foot and they will feel as though more can be netted to take the tie away from their English opponents.
BTTS
The BTTS Yes backers were left disappointed by Manchester City's failure to find the net at the Santiago Bernabeu. They will surely score at least one goal when returning to the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland alone is someone who can pilfer goals and will need to step up for his team after a disappointing evening in the Spanish capital.
City have scored thirty-six goals across fifteen home matches in the Premier League and they're pretty adept at finding the net. Their attacking options have been bolstered by the signing of Antoine Semenyo, with the English side having scored three at Newcastle in the FA Cup and you have to go back to New Year's Day to find the last time that Guardiola's men previously drew a blank.
Real Madrid should also be capable of finding the net. It's generally uncharacteristic to draw a blank although they did suffer a recent 1-0 home defeat against Getafe in La Liga. Previously to this, you have to go back to 7 December to find the last time that they failed to score. This came at home to Celta Vigo and the only downside on their behalf is that Kylian Mbappe may not be available as he recovers from injury.
First Goalscorer
Kylian Mbappe could be back in the starting lineup for this second leg. The Frenchman watched his team from the sidelines at the Bernabeu but will want to make an impact at the Etihad Stadium. His numbers are startling this season, with forty-three goals plundered in total and he is definitely a great bet to find the net should he line up.
Obviously, Federico Valverde is one to consider after the Spaniard's hat-trick against City last week. That actually doubled his goal tally for the season although he had scored in the previous game when notching away to Celta Vigo. Perhaps Arbeloa is getting the best out of a player who is looking to get in more advanced positions.
However, City are warm favourites and it could be that a virtuoso performance from Erling Haaland swings the tie back in their favour. They'll know that Antoine Semenyo can add some attacking edge and the former Bournemouth man has scored seventeen goals in all competitions this term. His goal rate continues to be high and perhaps this is the night where he becomes a really big game player for the English side.