Real Madrid v Manchester City Betting Tips
Manchester City are favourites to win this clash at the Bernabeu. Pep Guardiola will be jeered as the former Barcelona manager when he heads to the Spanish capital although his team are trading at odds of around 2.15 for a first leg win. These prices suggest a 47% chance that the Cityzens will head back to England with some kind of advantage.
When you look at the "To Qualify" market, City are overwhelming favourites. The odds of 1.36 imply that the English side have a close to 75% chance of getting the job done over two legs. Perhaps that's a touch skinny considering that Real Madrid were able to overcome the same opponents in the competition last season.
Nearly twelve months ago, Los Merengues were able to land a 3-2 success away to City before finishing the job at home when securing a 3-1 victory. That 6-3 aggregate win was quite conclusive, although perhaps City are better equipped to overcome their Spanish foes this time around.
On the flip side, City only managed to finish eighth in the Champions League standings and there were a few bumps in the road. Including a 3-1 defeat away to Bodo/Glimt and the Cityzens were only able to get a 2-2 draw away to Monaco. There was also a 2-0 home reverse against Bayer Leverkusen, with City not foot perfect in the Premier League this term either.
Real Madrid won five and lost three of their group games and Alvaro Arbeloa will hope to find some consistency as the campaign continues. The teams did meet in the group stage in December where Manchester City came away with a decisive 2-1 win and they came from behind thanks to goals from Nico O'Reilly and Erling Haaland.
Goals Under/Over
Real Madrid and Manchester City could be set to serve up another goalfest. After all, five of the previous six encounters between the pair have seen three or more goals scored. There was a 2-1 City victory in December, while that two-legged affair in the knockout stage last term saw a combined goal tally of nine managed across 180 minutes.
Providing that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are fighting fit, then both strikers have a solid chance of finding the net. Guardiola has already recruited well to secure the services of Antoine Semenyo and the former Bournemouth man has already posted some excellent numbers for his new club since a January move.
We don't think either defence is particularly strong either. There could be leaks at the back, especially if Real Madrid are forced to come out and attack in this one.
BTTS
The previous five meetings between these teams have seen both teams to score. Therefore, a BTTS Yes pick has to be included in Champions League accumulators with confidence. This might be a first leg encounter although there could be nothing cagey about a match where both sides will feel as though they can draw first blood.
Manchester City are not a team that sits on their haunches and defends for all their worth. They are far more likely to go in search of goals and leave themselves open. That could mean a fairly end-to-end encounter and a 1-1 scoreline at the very least.
Real Madrid and Manchester City don't have many games where they fail to find the net. Interestingly, Los Merengues drew a blank at home to Getafe in a recent La Liga showdown although they had previously found the net in eighteen consecutive encounters.
As for City, it's now been ten games and counting with them finding the net. They drew a blank in a Manchester derby at Old Trafford but have found the scoring touch on a regular basis since then. The fact that they scored twice at the Bernabeu in December without Semenyo is a key pointer.
First Goalscorer
The game will be billed as the battle of the big guns. In the white corner will be Kylian Mbappe, a striker who will hope to have recovered from a sprained knee to take his place in the team. The absence of the French forward would be a big blow to the Spanish giants and perhaps it would see Vincius Junior as a more viable scorer bet.
The Brazilian has caught fire in recent games and the forward now has six goals in as many games for Los Merengues. We might well see him on penalty duties in the absence of Mbappe, with Gonzalo Garcia an interesting pick too. The 21-year-old rose to prominence thanks to a hat-trick against Real Betis and also scored recently against Real Sociedad.
Erling Haaland hasn't been at his vintage best in recent weeks although the Norwegian has pilfered twenty-two goals in the Premier League now and an incredible forty-two for the campaign. It's no mean feat and these big Champions League stages are often where the big forward comes alive.
Antoine Semenyo has already scored six times for City and defender Nico O'Reilly has been converted into an advanced attacking player to good effect.