Santiago Bernabeu Stadium will be witnessing one of the biggest matches in recent Champions League history, as hosts Real Madrid look to turn around a 4-3 loss in the first leg versus Manchester City. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our Champions League odds series, which includes our Real Madrid-Man City prediction and pick we have laid out below.
The first leg of this matchup was really one of the best games of this season's Champions League. Seven goals, three Real Madrid comebacks to be just one goal down, coming into the iconic Bernabeu this Wednesday. The Spanish giants have a ton to hope for, as they turned around a one-goal difference against PSG in the first round, winning 3-2 on aggregate to proceed to the quarters.
Manchester City, on the other hand, will be hoping for much of the same in the second leg, as the first leg was theirs and theirs alone. If they capitalize on the missed chances from the first leg, they will be playing in Paris come the end of May.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Real Madrid-Man City Champions League odds.
Champions League Odds: Real Madrid-Man City Odds
Real Madrid: (+230)
Man City: (+100)
Draw: (+290)
Over: 2.5 (-190)
Under: 2.5 (+156)
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Why Real Madrid Could Win This Match
There is a very simple reason why Real Madrid could win this match: they are Real Madrid. While it might sound like an irrelevant thing, Real Madrid and the Champions League have a special relationship of some sort. The Whites were ruled out against PSG, especially after Kylian Mbappe scored for 1-0 at the Bernabeu, and the same was said after Timo Werner scored for 3-0 in the same stadium. Yet, Real Madrid just wiggles back into action and that is their bet for this game.
Of course, aside from the intangible and tough-to-define relationship between them and the Champions League, Real Madrid have a chance based on the form of their players. The duo of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. has been electric this year. The French veteran connected on 41 goals in all competitions this year, while Vini added 18. If they are in form come Wednesday, there will be issues for the Man City defense.
Additionally, Real Madrid's defense will be bolstered by the return of Casemiro. The stable defensive midfielder missed the first game through injury and it showed, as Real Madrid's defense showed instability. Also, David Alaba should be fully fit, and he was dreadful in the first game. They have been fairly solid defensively this year, so the first game seems like just a bad day at the office. Rarely does it happen twice, especially in a row, and especially with the return of such an important player in Casemiro.
Why Man City Could Win This Match
This is, after the Champions League final from last year, the biggest match in the history of Manchester City. The Citizens have a chance to not only go to the final two years in a row but also to knock off the biggest team in the history of this storied competition. More importantly for them, Man City are fighting for a chance to finally win the trophy that has been evading them ever since the takeover that transformed the team from a mid-table squad to a perennial winner of the EPL and contender in the Champions League.
Man City have an impressive squad and they are likely the deepest team in the competition. For instance, the Citizens did not have their starting left-back in Joao Cancelo and their right-back Kyle Walker, yet still they looked great at times in the first leg. Cancelo will be back this game, while Walker is still a doubt. Even if they were both out, Man City have such a deep team that they would likely still play great football, just like in the first match in Manchester.
A major strength and reason for Man City to hope for a win in this match is manager Pep Guardiola. Guardiola has tons and tons of experience in huge games and, granted, it has not always turned out great, but he can definitely lead this team to glory in this competition. His tactical setup in the first leg completely blew Carlo Ancelotti's tactic out of the water, as Guardiola's men often dominated. Thus, they will look for more of the same in this match as well.
Final Real Madrid-Man City Prediction and Pick
This is an incredibly difficult game to predict. Both teams can realistically come off with a win and a place in the final. Due to their prowess at the Bernabeu this year, however, our final Real Madrid-Man City prediction is a Real Madrid win and a progression to the final of the Champions League.
Final Real Madrid-Man City Pick: Real Madrid (+230)
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