Real Madrid vs Man City Odds: Semifinal Preview

Real Madrid Underdogs at Home

Last week’s match between Real Madrid and Manchester City was an absolute thriller and fans will certainly be hoping for more of the same on Wednesday in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal. Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, on the other hand, will be hoping their teams concede fewer goals. It was a seven-goal classic last week as Man City beat Real Madrid 4-3. The Real Madrid vs Man City odds currently favor Guardiola’s Citizens to punch their ticket to the final.

Man City vs Real Madrid Betting Preview

Location: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Date & Time: Wednesday 3 p.m. ET
TV: Paramount+, FuboTV, TUDN

Head-to-Head

Last Five Meetings:

• April 2022: Man City 4-3 Real Madrid
• Aug 2020: Man City 2-1 Real Madrid
• Feb 2020: Real Madrid 1-2 Man City
• May 2016: Real Madrid 1-0 Man City
• April 2016: Man City 0-0 Real Madrid

Last week’s match clash these two sides was one of the matches of the season and City easily could have had another goal or two. The Citizens took an early 2-0 lead, but Real Madrid refused to quit. Karim Benzema, as he so often has this season, scored a timely goal to bring Madrid within one.

Phil Foden’s second-half goal put City up 3-1 and they had a bunch of dangerous attacking moves that could have added to their lead. However, City scored just once more and Benzema and Vinicius Jr. found the net for Madrid to make it a 4-3 match. Real have now lost their last three matches vs Manchester City, which explains why the UEFA Champions League betting odds are against them.

Composure Key for Man City

• Form (All Competitions): W,W,W,W,L
• Injuries and Suspensions: D John Stones (muscle), D Kyle Walker (ankle), D Nathan Ake (ankle)

Manchester City followed up their four-goal performance vs Real Madrid with another four-piece vs Leeds on Saturday. This time, City were strong at the back and kept a clean sheet. If City wins out in the Premier League, they’ll be champions for a second consecutive season but Liverpool are hot on their heels.

Defender Nathan Ake scored City’s second goal last weekend but was hauled off with an injury just minutes later, adding to Guardiola’s headache on defense. Ake, John Stones and Kyle Walker are all injured, which means a likely back four of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Joao Cancelo.

The good news for City is that they’ve been unstoppable in front of goal as of late. They’ve averaged four goals over their last four matches in all competitions, and Gabriel Jesus has played like a man possessed since getting linked to Arsenal in the transfer market. The Real Madrid vs Man City odds favor the Citizens to score multiple goals once again.

La Liga Winners Aim for More Silverware

• Form (All Competitions): W,L,W,W,L
• Injuries and Suspensions: D David Alaba (muscle),  F Luka Jovic (groin), D Nacho Fernández (discomfort), F Eden Hazard (ankle)

Ancelotti became the first manager to win league trophies in all top five European leagues as Real Madrid destroyed Espanyol 4-0 on Saturday. Los Blancos won the La Liga title over their rivals with an impressive four games remaining and can focus all of their energy on their Champions League run now.

Ancelotti was able to rest a lot of his key players over the weekend like Toni Kroos, Vini Jr. and Benzema, which means they should be fresh for Wednesday. One issue is that Madrid have started to prepare for their rematch vs Manchester City without key defender David Alaba. Alaba was taken off at halftime last week vs City and his absence would be a big loss for Madrid.

On the offensive end, anything is possible when Benzema is up front. The French striker has cemented legendary status with his performances this season and is only three goals away from Cristiano Ronaldo’s single-season UCL record of 17 goals. He’s also far and away the Golden Boot leader in La Liga and has reached the 40-goal threshold in all competitions. He and Luka Modric sparked Real’s comeback in the Round of 16 over PSG and they’ll be hoping for a repeat here.

What to Watch

The fact that Real Madrid needs a goal to level this fixture means that there’s some built-in excitement. Just by the nature of the teams involved, this is already one of the most anticipated matches of the season and all eyes in the soccer world will be watching. The Real Madrid vs Manchester City odds list the home team as +235 underdogs, which Madridistas will certainly take exception to.

Last week, though, Man City became just the third team to win three consecutive Champions League matches over Real Madrid and they are worthy favorites in this match. At +105, City have less than a 50 percent implied chance of victory.

At this point, Benzema is expected to get on the scoresheet every time he takes the field so don’t expect Madrid to go down without a fight. Guardiola, the former Barcelona player and manager, has a lot of history vs Real Madrid, though. He will undoubtedly want to put his former rivals out of the tournament. If City draw or win, they’ll be just one win away their first Champions League title.