IT looks like Manchester City and Real Madrid are both going to win their titles in England and Spain and they are set to serve up another classic on Wednesday after last week's rollercoaster at the Bernabeu.
The first leg swung from one team's advantage to the other and the eventual 3-3 draw means it's now delicately poised going into the Etihad showdown.
Then again, we've been in this movie before after a 1-1 draw in last season's semi-final first leg in Spain before City trounced the most decorated team in the tournament with a 4-0 win.
And things do all seem to be going City's way at the moment as they build momentum and exactly the right time of the season.
The title pendulum took a massive swing in their direction at the weekend, as Liverpool and Arsenal were both stunned by home defeats, leaving the champions in a great position.
They haven't lost a game since the start of December and have won every Champions League at home this season.
Real have surely done enough to win La Liga after going eight points clear with a weekend win at Mallorca, but their goalscorer Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended for the trip to England.
How the bookies view it
It's not often you get Manchester City at anything approaching backable odds in any competition, but the 4/6 with Coral will attract plenty of punters.
Real Madrid are 4/1 with Paddy Power and the draw is 16/5 with William Hill.
Recent head-to-head
Real Madrid have never won at City on five different occasions and, as stated, fell apart in last season's semi-final after a four-goal hammering.
Players to watch
Erling Haaland has attracted his fair share of criticism for ‘only' scoring 34 goals for club and country this season. He converted a penalty in Saturday's romp against Luton and is also backable at 10/11 to score anytime with bet365.
City will have to stop Jude Bellingham although his goals have dried up slightly after going five games without finding the back of the net for Madrid. He did score for England in that time though. He is 18/5 to score anytime with UniBet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Everything seems to be falling into place for City and they can take a giant step to retaining their European title by overpowering Real Madrid at home again.
Pep Guardiola appears to have nudged his side to peak football at just the right time and their injury situation has cleared up nicely too.
They arguably could have won the first leg and they look like they have too many creative playmakers for Real Madrid.
Of course, City always give teams chances and they've gone four games without a clean sheet. You would expect the Spaniards to find a way through and it's worth taking Paddy Power's 11/4 for a home win and over 3.5 goals if the first leg is replicated.
This UEFA Champions League match between Man City and Real Madrid will be played on Apr 17, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Man City vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
