IT'S quarter-final time in the UEFA Champions League but this is a clash worthy of the showpiece itself as Manchester City put their European crown on the line against 14-time winners Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola's side battered the Bernabeu giants 5-1 on aggregate in last season's semi before they finally got the monkey off their backs by beating Inter Milan to rule Europe for the first time.
That was part of a historic Treble as Manchester City also lifted the Premier League trophy and FA Cup, a feat that had only been achieved once before by rivals Manchester United in 1999.
But Guardiola's men still have a chance of repeating that success this season after Saturday's win at Crystal Palace kept them in the thick of a three-way fight for the Premier League title.
An FA Cup semi with Chelsea is also looming, but the team with the greatest chance of ending City's quest for another Treble is probably Real Madrid. They will be out for revenge after that heavy loss in the last four a year ago.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are easing towards the La Liga title and they've had nine days to prepare for this first leg after having the weekend off. Atletico Madrid are the only team to have beaten them all season and Real head into this game on a 13-game unbeaten run.
Toppling the European champions won't be easy but Real Madrid certainly possess the firepower to punish a Manchester City defence that has been leaking goals of late.
How the bookies view it
After that comprehensive win last season, Manchester City are heavy favourites to qualify at a best 1/2 with Bet365 while Real Madrid are 21/10 outsiders. Even for a win in Spain, the Bernabeu giants are pretty big at 19/10 with BetUK, while City's price increases to 6/4 at BetMGM. I wouldn't rule out a first-leg draw, and that pays 13/5 with William Hill.
Recent head-to-head
It wasn't until 2012 that these sides first faced off but they've been making up for lost time since then, cramming in 10 matches. Manchester City just have the edge with four victories, while Real Madrid have three wins and the other three matches have been draws. The Spanish giants have held the upper hand at the Bernabeu, winning three of the five encounters and losing just once.
Players to watch
Manchester City's defence still looks a bit vulnerable to pacy forwards so Vinicius Junior will fancy his chances of causing problems. The Brazilian netted after I tipped him to set up a goal against Leipzig in the last 16 but backing him for either a goal or an assist pays 6/5 with SkyBet here.
Phil Foden is in the form of his life for Manchester City and scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa last week after I backed him for anytime scorer. The winger is 13/8 with Paddy Power to either score or assist at the Bernabeu.
Anything else catch the eye?
Erling Haaland hasn't been at his best in recent weeks but the City striker scored at the weekend and always relishes the big stage. Unibet price him at 6/4 for over 1.5 shots on target and that looks decent as Real Madrid are unlikely to defend deep.
The first legs of European ties can often be cagey when we get to this stage and that makes the half-time draw a decent option at 11/8 with 888Sport. Last season's two games averaged over four cards so it could also pay to back over 3.5 cards in this clash at evens with Unibet.
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal often dives into tackles so I like the 5/4 at SkyBet on the full-back committing over 1.5 fouls.
This UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Manchester City will be played on Apr 9, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
I will be all over the 1/1 shot
Here’s hoping. Need a few early tackles to get the temperature rising
Great tip on Carvajal and Junior . Thanks Kevin