In what appears to be game of the week in the league phase of the Champions League, Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Bernabeu on Wednesday night in what promises to be an entertaining encounter.
Real Madrid made it four wins from five in the league phase of the Champions League last time out, as they edged a seven-goal thriller away at Olympiakos thanks to an inspired Kylian Mbappe.
However, after winning 10 of their opening 11 La Liga fixtures, Xabi Alonso’s men have won just one of their next five, seeing them slip down to second position in the table, four points behind Barcelona.
The latest of those dropped points came on Sunday night, as they were beaten 0-2 at home to Celta Vigo, in a game they finished with nine players on the pitch.
Manchester City suffered their first defeat in the league phase of the Champions League last time out, as they were surprisingly beaten 0-2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Pep Guardiola’s men moved within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend, as they defeated Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad, on afternoon I landed an 8/5 winner.
The Cityzens now travel to the Bernabeu having won each of their last three and eight of their past 10 Premier League encounters, scoring 11 goals in their previous three.
How the bookies view it: Real slight favourites
Real Madrid are priced up as marginal favourites to claim all three points, with bet365 pricing a home success at 29/20.
Manchester City are slightly bigger at 13/8 at bet365, whilst the draw is 14/5.
Head to head: Los Blancos with the upper hand
This has become a regular fixture in recent seasons, with the two clubs meeting on 14 occasions since the 2012/13 season in the Champions League, with Real Madrid winning six of them (W6-D4-L4).
The record champions have knocked Manchester City out of this competition in the last two seasons, including a 6-3 aggregate success in the playoff round last season.
Players to watch: More Mbappe magic
Kylian Mbappe has been in sensational form for Real Madrid this season, with the ex-PSG attacker firing in an incredible 25 goals in all competitions, with nine of those coming in the Champions League.
The French superstar also scored four goals in the two meetings with Manchester City last season – including a stunning hat trick at the Bernabeu – and is an appealing 5/6 at bet365 to get on the scoresheet yet again.
Predicted line-ups:
Real Madrid have an injury crisis in defence, with Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy all missing, whilst Dean Huijsen and David Alaba are doubts.
Manchester City will still be without the injured midfield duo of Rodri and Mateo Kovacic, whilst John Stones is a doubt.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Rudiger, Asencio, Carreras, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Bellingham, Guler, Vinicius Jnr, Mbappe
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Silva, Foden, Doku, Haaland
Anything else catch the eye?
These two sides have faced off 10 times in the Champions League over the past five years, with those matches averaging an eye-catching four goals per game, with Both Teams to Score banking in nine (90%) of them, whilst eight (80%) have featured a minimum of three goals.
Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.
However, prices are understandably low, with Both Teams to Score & Over 2.5 Goals pays just 4/6 at bet365.
Four of the last five meetings have also gone Over 3.5 Goals, and I like the look of a repeat, which pays an appealing 6/5 at Paddy Power.
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