Manchester City won the first leg of their Champions League semifinal versus Real Madrid in an instant classic of the competition. The game finished 4-3, but Manchester City has more to feel sorry about. They had a myriad of chances, including a Riyad Mahrez shot that ended up hitting the post. Still, a lead versus the 13-time Champions League winners, despite it only being one goal, is nothing to feel bad about. They will enter the iconic Santiago Bernabeu with a ton of confidence that they can make their second Champions League final in a row. Let's look at three bold Manchester City predictions for Champions League second leg vs. Real Madrid.

Manchester City Champions League predictions vs. Real Madrid 

Gabriel Jesus will be incredibly important once again 

In our predictions for the first game, we spoke about the importance of Gabriel Jesus and why his form is critical for the success of Manchester City. The Brazilian ended up scoring and setting up a great number of chances for his teammates. Having a number nine in the middle really showed how Real Madrid's defense is vulnerable when attacked directly. If Pep Guardiola decides to go for a false nine in Bernardo Silva, like he usually does, it will create goalscoring problems for City, especially because Casemiro will be returning and David Alaba should be fully healthy, giving Real Madrid much more stability in the backline. With a false nine, he can just be ignored by the center-backs on his runs to the middle to link-up play.

However, what Jesus did was make runs behind the line, forcing one of the Real Madrid center-backs to follow him, leaving space and disarray in the defensive rotations. That has, in turn, given Manchester City players a clear indication that there is a ton of space to be exploited, and that is exactly how many of the chances came to be. Thus, having a real striker up front means a ton for how Manchester City can really find and use the space being left behind by poor Real Madrid defensive rotations. Additionally, Jesus is a goalscorer and he is in form, so he will be a major reason why City could win this game if Guardiola decides to stick with him in the middle.

Joao Cancelo's return will be the difference between the games

In the first game, as said, Manchester City was supposed to win by more than a single goal. Unfortunately for them, a lack of composure on some finishes by their attackers has seen them win only 4-3. However, the issue with the scoreline is not only “just” four goals that they got, but also the three they conceded. Granted, one was a tough finish by Benzema and one was a penalty, but the second goal should ring alarm bells. Thankfully for the Citizens, their star fullback will be back for this game.

It will likely be Cancelo going on the left side, but due to the way that Zinchenko played the first game, together with the fact that Kyle Walker might not be ready, Cancelo might be going on the right side. He will have his hands full with Vinicius Jr, but Manchester City's fullback is ready for the task. The Portuguese player has been instrumental in keeping their defense in check, together with his compatriot Ruben Dias, while also contributing a lot offensively. If he does play on the right, he will also keep Vinicius busy, since he will have to track back on his runs forward. Thus, Cancelo will be a massive return and could be the difference-maker City needs to close this down.

Manchester City is going through 

Now, they can go through with a draw or a win, but it hardly matters for the Citizens at this point. Manchester City has been yearning for this trophy since the takeover by the City Football Group in 2008, they won five Premier League titles, including three of the last four, and possibly four of the last five if they hold on to their lead in the EPL. However, this Champions League title has evaded them so many times, including last year, when they lost in their only Champions League final in history.

Equipped by the deepest squad in the world and a superstar manager in Guardiola, this just seems like Manchester City's year. They have been utterly dominant in the EPL, despite some late slipups, and their squad is built for this competition. Last year, it was Chelsea in the final, beating Manchester City using their midfield domination, but with likely the best midfield in the world right now, Manchester City are the prime favorites to not only win this tie but to win this entire Champions League competition.