Manchester City Vs Real Madrid
Manchester City Vs Real Madrid Tuesday 26 April, 2022 – 20:00 (BST)
UEFA Champions League (semi-finals)
Pick: Both Teams to Score
Odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: WilliamHill
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 24 April 2022)
Preview: The first of the England versus Spain semi-final match-ups takes place in Manchester, at the Eithad Stadium, with Man City looking to establish a first-leg lead that would leave them well-placed to reach a second successive Champions League final. 13-time European champions Real Madrid will, of course, have other ideas.
UEFA Champions League Betting at Betfair
Table of Contents
Manchester City – Pep eyeing up back-to-back UCL finals?
Pep Guardiola knows what is required to progress from a Champions League semi-final after guiding the Manchester club to last season’s final, losing narrowly in Lisbon to Chelsea. With Liverpool potentially awaiting the winner of this tie, we could have a second successive all-English final on our hands. Particularly if City’s home record against Real Madrid holds up: W1 D2, winning the most recent 2-1 in August 2020.
Moreover, the Cityzens are in ominous shape ahead of Tuesday’s first-leg. Saturday’s 5-1 scoreline at home to Watford consolidating top spot in the Premier League to make it back-to-back victories, scoring eight and conceding only one. Yet a three-game winless spell preceded those successes, giving them a record of five wins across their last ten matches (D4 L1). So they aren’t as infallible as some would have us believe.
Key Stat: Since the inception of the Champions League, Man City have contested two semi-finals but didn’t produce a win in the home leg until their second attempt. The Cityzens following up a goalless draw against Real Madrid in 2015/16 by beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 en route to last season’s final.
Real Madrid – Ancelotti praying experience counts for a lot?
While their last four opponents are relative novices when it comes to the semi-finals of the Champions League, for Real Madrid, featuring at this stage for a 15th time, this is simply par for the course. Moreover, Los Merengues have gone on to appear in the final three of the past four times they’ve made it this far, though were eliminated by another team from England, Chelsea, in last season’s corresponding round.
So, can Carlo Ancelotti’s men avoid a similar demise against the current leaders of the Premier League? His team have shown a capacity to not only score at will in this season’s knockouts – eight in all, with all but one scored by Ballon d’Or favourite Karim Benzema – but also dig deep in the face of adversity. Traits that will be needed to oust an imperious Man City side, who are favourites to progress over two legs.
Key Stat: Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick in both previous rounds, one of which was in England, when Real Madrid went to Stamford Bridge and produced a stunning performance to defeat reigning European champions Chelsea 3-1.
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Manchester City Vs Real Madrid Betting Advice
We could excuse the goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon having been 5-0 up on aggregate from the first leg, but aside from that Man City have been ominously strong in Manchester in this season’s competition. Their 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in the last-eight, which was certainly hard-fought, making it four wins from five home outings, scoring 13 and conceding five – though none so far in the knockouts.
Manchester City Vs Real Madrid – Key Facts:
- In the UEFA Champions League, Man City remain unbeaten when hosting Real Madrid (W1 D2). The English side prevailing 2-1 the last time the teams faced off in England.
- Man City racked up 13 goals from five home games in Europe this term (2.6 per game), failing to score only once in Manchester. Real Madrid scored 12 in five away European games (2.4 per game), again failing to score only once in these games.
- Karim Benzema scored Real Madrid’s only goal upon last visiting the Etihad Stadium, in a 2-1 loss in August 2020. The Frenchman accounts for seven of his team’s eight knockout goals this season, three of those via his head.
Real Madrid were surprisingly passive in Paris in the Round of 16, losing 1-0 to a late Kylian Mbappe solo effort, but proactive and on the front foot in London when inflicting a 3-1 loss on Chelsea. We all hope it is more of the latter on Tuesday. The Spanish side have only failed to find the net once across five European away contests this term then, while Man City conceded in all three home games during the group stage.
Best Betting Odds – Manchester City Vs Real Madrid
Manchester City – 8/15 (Coral)
Draw – 18/5 (Betfair)
Real Madrid – 11/2 (BetVictor)
