Manchester City will be hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, in what could be a tone-setting clash for this tie. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our Champions League odds series, which includes our Man City-Real Madrid prediction and pick we have laid out below.

 

Manchester City enter this game as thin favorites, based on the strength of their team. They are first in the league and despite a serious challenge from Liverpool, they will be winning the title if they win all their games until the end of the season. In the Champions League, it was a struggle against Atletico Madrid, but City scored the only goal in the tie. On the side of Real Madrid, they have mostly wrapped up the La Liga title, with a 15-point cushion over Barcelona and their other followers. In the Champions League, they mostly relied on Karim Benzema's heroics to bring them up. We will have to see whether the 13-time winners can rely on the French striker once again versus Manchester City.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Man City-Real Madrid Champions League odds:

Champions League Odds: Man City-Real Madrid Odds

Man City: (-220)

Real Madrid: (+550)

Draw: (+370)

Over: 2.5 (-144)

Under: 2.5 (+118)

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Why Man City Could Win This Match 

Manchester City will be coming into this match with a ton of confidence. The Citizens rested some of their players against Watford, and they still came out and destroyed their opponents, with Gabriel Jesus supplying four goals. His form ramping up must be excellent news for manager Pep Guardiola, who might believe that his tactics centered around a false nine might be heavily tested by Real Madrid. Thus, the ability to trust Jesus to bring the goals must be huge for the Citizens coming into this game.

Additionally, this is a team stacked with talent. With all due respect to Real Madrid, they are outclassed in a lot of places by Manchester City, just in terms of singular player quality. City has Ruben Dias that recently came back from injury and he is a rock at the back. He just came off a season where he won both Premier League Player of the Season and Champions League Defender of the Season, so his ability is absolutely unquestionable. Dias is just one example of the type of quality the Citizens have in their ranks.

Pep Guardiola's men will come out at the Etihad on Tuesday looking to make it to back-to-back Champions League finals, and they have a good shot. Real Madrid might be Spanish champions-elect, but they are also vulnerable and Guardiola will surely look at the first leg in Paris, just like the second leg of the quarterfinals matchup between Real Madrid and Chelsea. There are holes there and if anyone can find a way to exploit them, it is Guardiola.

Why Real Madrid Could Win This Match 

Real Madrid is a storied club in this competition. They are simply the best Champions League club in the history of the contest, winning it 13 times since it started in 1955. As it was shown in the first two knockout rounds, there is just an aura or magic around this club. First, it was the 17-minute comeback versus PSG, and then a wonder pass by Luka Modric to Rodrygo, bringing the game to overtime where Benzema comes up clutch again with a goal.

This magic is intangible, but what can be seen and proven is their record this season. Real Madrid have routinely shown up in huge games. Of course, the second leg versus Chelsea does not look like showing up, but they still managed to put in a shift and get through to the semis. In the group stages, they beat Inter Milan twice, and while a loss at home to Sheriff Tiraspol does not look nice, Real Madrid players have shown up when they were called upon.

The first duo to answer the call is Thibaut Courtois and the aforementioned Benzema. Courtois has conceded a fair amount of goals this season, but if there was anyone else in that goal, the number would be doubled. On the other hand, Karim Benzema became the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo to score a back-to-back hat-trick in the Champions League knockout stages, cementing his case for the Ballon D'Or and bringing his club to the brink of domestic and continental glory. If anyone propels Real Madrid to a positive result, it will be Courtois and Benzema.

Final Man City-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick 

It will be a tactically charged game, with both managers being well versed in high-level tactics. However, while all common wisdom likely leans Manchester City's way, our Man City-Real Madrid prediction is a Real Madrid win at the Etihad. Real Madrid will have more days of rest, have their league sorted, and Karim Benzema will be breaking through the Manchester City lines with ease. Back Real Madrid to win the first leg of their Champions League semifinal tie versus Manchester City.

Final Man City-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick: Real Madrid (+550)