Edgar Chaput
May 16, 2023

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Prediction: Champions League Odds

After a fascinating 1-1 draw last Tuesday in Spain, these giants clash once more to decide who will partake in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.

The Champions League odds place City as -156 favourites, with Madrid at +321. That’s a pretty significant difference given Real’s glorious history in this competition. A draw is priced at +354. Obviously extra-time and, if need be, penalties would decide the winner.

Manchester City -182
Draw +340
Real Madrid +400

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Betting Analysis

Last week’s first leg mostly lived up to the hype, as well as to pundits’ expectations of how the sides would approach the challenge. City are a high-possession unit, and the 56 per cent they held the ball in Spain showed it. Conversely, when they need to be Madrid are an excellent counter-attacking squad.

Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring in the 36^th minute with extraordinary pace and precision, rocketing a shot against which Ederson stood no chance. But when it looked as though Madrid would take over and make the rest of the tie too complicated for even Manchester City to handle, the latter stood tall and avoided any further damage on the night. The hosts created a few more opportunities, but rarely anything that had City hearts skipping beats. Then, in the 67^th minute, Kevin De Bruyne equalized with a superb strike of his own.

City didn’t make any extraordinary effort to go for the win, mostly content to take what Madrid gave them and, in the worst case, leave the Bernabeu with a draw. That’s exactly what happened as the contest concluded 1-1.

Manchester City

With each passing week City inches closer to a treble. The FA Cup final versus Manchester United lies ahead and fans anxiously await to see what will happen Wednesday night in European competition. The weekend was all about getting a firmer grip on a third successive league title.

Knowing a massive game with Madrid was days away and that second-place Arsenal played later, big decisions needed to be made away to Everton. De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish were all on the bench. Everton needed the points to preserve their precarious 17^th place in the Premier League and created a few chances in the first half. But this is Manchester City, and it often doesn’t matter who is on the pitch and who is on the bench. A 37th minute cross into the box by Riyad Mahrez was met by Ilkay Gundogan who beautifully – really beautifully – controlled it with a tap of his thigh before flicking a shot with his back to the net. Extraordinary stuff. Gungodan himself sent a ball to Erling Haaland three minutes, and a thumping header made it 2-0. Game, set, and match. Gungodan scored another in the second half for a 3-0 final. Business as usual, with the added benefit of the Gunners losing to Brighton a few hours later.

Real Madrid

La Liga matches have felt more like formalities than anything else for several weeks already. For whatever reason Real Madrid have not been able to show the same spirit in the domestic league as they have in Europe or the Copa del Rey, which they won two weeks ago.

Carols Ancelotti’s side hosted Getafe over the weekend. The performance was…fine. This was not the sort of contest that got the Real faithful salivating. Not only is the title chase over (Barcelona won it at Espanyol), but, like City, they knew bigger things lay head in just a matter of days. Also like Wednesday’s opponent, they played a side desperate to up in La Liga. But Getafe simply couldn’t cash in on what opportunities fate provided, and in the 70^th minute Marco Asensio hit a great low shot that fooled the Getafe keeper from distance. A perfunctory 1-0 win that keeps them in second place, but it was clear that minds were elsewhere.