NOBODY does the Champions League better than Real Madrid and the 13-time European champions will now try to stop Manchester City’s bid for a first triumph.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men ended Chelsea’s reign as kings of the continent in the last round – but only after coming dangerously close to blowing a 3-1 first-leg lead back on home soil.
And that’s why the bookies make them outsiders for this semi-final, with Real as big as 23/10 with BoyleSports to reach the final and City’s best price just 2/5 at Paddy Power.
Pep Guardiola’s men are even shorter for a home win in tonight’s first leg, with McBookie pricing them at a tiny 40/85 and the La Liga giants at 21/4.
Those are incredible odds for a semi-final between two Euro heavyweights, especially as Guardiola has previous for messing things up in the latter stages.
Unlike Atletico Madrid, who parked the bus in both legs of the quarter-final, Real should come out and play on the evidence of their thriller with Chelsea.
That bodes well for goals and I fancy BTTS tonight at 10/11 with Bet365 while over 1.5 first-half strikes pays 29/20 with McBookie.
SkyBet are also offering a boosted 11/2 on each team having two or more shots on target in each half and that could be worth a punt.
Casemiro is Real’s midfield enforcer and that makes him good value for a card at 5/4 with BetVictor.
Super Singles
- Casemiro to be carded (5/4, BetVictor)
- Each team 2+ shots on target each half (11/2, SkyBet)
McBookie Bet Builder
- Combining BTTS and over 0.5 first-half goals pays 102/100
KevinMac is a sports journalist with almost three decades of experience in the industry since starting out in 1997. He has covered games at every level, from Scottish Junior football to English Premier League games and internationals, and has been tipping for the MFT site since 2018.
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