Manchester City host Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 playoff. It is usually closely contested whenever these two teams clash and with little to separate them at the moment, they could battle to a stalemate.
Manchester City were well below their best in the first phase of the Champions League as they could only muster three wins from their eight matches. Pep Guardiola’s men went into their final game needing to win and eventually got a come from behind 3-1 victory over Club Brugge to secure progress.
Their poor European campaign appears to be a symptom of a larger struggle as Manchester City have been poor this term. They laboured to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup last weekend and will head into Tuesday’s clash unbeaten in their last five home matches in all competitions.
Real Madrid also had their problems in the Champions League but pulled it together in time to comfortably secure a playoff berth. They won their final three matches in the league phase, claiming a 3-0 victory over Brest on matchday eight.
While Real Madrid have not been their dominant selves this season, they often find ways to get the result they need. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are unbeaten in seven of their last eight matches in all competitions and were held to a 1-1 La Liga draw by Atletico Madrid on Saturday, with Kylian Mbappe netting the equaliser.
How the bookies view it: Slight edge for City
Manchester City have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 5/4 by BoyleSports to claim the win. A victory for Real Madrid is valued at 9/5 by BoyleSports, who are offering odds of 13/5 for a draw.
Elsewhere you can get the much more favourable odds of 30/1 on City to win with Parimatch, if registering a new account ahead of Tuesday's match. The limited time promo offer expires at kick-off, so if you want to partake, make sure you allow at least 15 minutes to sign up, deposit and place your qualifying bet.
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Head to head: Little to separate them
Manchester City and Real Madrid have picked up five wins each and four draws from 14 previous matches. Both teams met in last season’s knockout phase with Los Blancos progressing on penalties after a 3-3 home draw at the Bernabeu and a 1-1 scoreline in the second leg.
Players to watch: Prolific attacks
Rodrygo continues to catch the eye for Real Madrid with important goals having scored five times in the last three Champions League matches. Mbappe has also impressed and with Vinicius Junior featuring in attack as well, Los Blancos can produce over 0.5 goals at 2/11 with Boylesports.
One positive for Manchester City is that Erling Haaland appears to be truly back in form having scored in four of the last five matches in all competitions. Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne are also expected to feature for the hosts who can also be backed to produce over 0.5 goals at 1/7 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Manchester City are without Ederson, Rodri, Jeremy Doku and Nathan Ake, who are all sidelined with injury. Omar Marmoush should make his debut in the Champions League while Kevin De Bruyne's experience in midfield could be vital.
Real Madrid have injury problems in defence with Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao all sidelined. Young centre-back Raul Asencio should feature in defence alongside Aurelian Tchouameni while Kylian Mbappe is expected to lead the line.
Manchester City: Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Gonzalez, De Bruyne, Foden, Marmoush, Savinho, Haaland
Real Madrid: Courtois, Garcia, Tchouameni, Asencio, Vazquez, Valverde, Ceballos, Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe
Anything else catch the eye?
Four of the last five home matches for Manchester City have produced over 3.5 goals and a repeat is priced at 23/20 by BoyleSports. Three of Real Madrid’s last four away matches have produced more second half goals and a similar outcome can be considered at 10/11 with BoyleSports.
With the second half tipped to produce more goals, both teams can also be backed to score after the break at 11/8 with BoyleSports.
This UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City and Real Madrid will be played on Feb 11, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
