Man City vs Real Madrid Prediction and Betting Tips: Two bets for blockbuster second leg

Defending Champions Manchester City go up against the Spanish giants Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, live on TNT Sports at 8pm.

We witnessed a blockbuster first leg at the Bernabeu which saw spectacular strikes at both ends of the pitch as both sides were forced to settle for a high-scoring 3-3 draw.

Pep Guardiola’s men are on a 27 game unbeaten streak coming into this clash and a semi-final spot against either Arsenal or Bayern Munich is at stake if they progress past Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.

They scored five goals at the weekend against Luton despite resting the likes of Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, and Nathan Ake to go top of the table as both Arsenal and Liverpool dropped points in the title race.

As for Madrid, they are on a 37 game unbeaten run inside 90 minutes in all competitions, so the 14-time Champions League winners will be no pushover for Guardiola’s men.

They took another step towards the La Liga title at the weekend through a 1-0 away win over Real Mallorca which put them eight points clear of Barcelona , who occupy the second spot, but the focus now shifts onto the Champions League.

Real Madrid have only advanced twice in their last 10 Champions League ties after failing to win the opening leg so it will not be an easy task but with such a rich history in this competition overall, there are not many who can doubt them.

The last time these two sides met at the Etihad was last year in the Champions League semi-final and it was City who eased through with a 4-0 thrashing but I expect a much more competitive fixture this time around.

A mouth-watering Champions League quarter-final second leg awaits us and I have included my two best bets in the preview below.

Team News:

• John Stones is doubtful for Manchester City. No other injuries/suspensions.
• Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, and Aurelien Tchouameni are out for Real Madrid.

Bet Builder Picks

• Dani Carvajal - Over 0.5 fouls committed
• Vinicius Jr. - Over 0.5 shots
• Kevin De Bruyne - Over 0.5 shots
• Over 0 goals for Man City

Dani Carvajal is averaging 1.7 fouls per game in the Champions League this season, committing at least one foul in six of his seven appearances in this competition this season.

He had a tough night against Jack Grealish in the first leg, where he was forced into committing two fouls, and I expect more of the same at the Etihad, so backing him to commit a foul makes good sense.

As for Vinicius, he is averaging the most shots per game (3.0) for Real Madrid in all competitions so far this season and had three attempts towards the goal in the first leg. He is Madrid’s biggest attacking threat and should be able to register at least one shot on the counter.

Moving on to Kevin De Bruyne. He is averaging 2.2 shots per game in the league this season and has attempted at least one shot in all eight of his head-to-head meetings against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Finally, Manchester City have scored a goal in their last 13 consecutive home games in the Champions League, and in 65 of their last 66 home games in all competitions.

They breached Madrid’s defence thrice at the Bernabeu and should comfortably be able to score a goal at the Etihad in front of their supporters.

Combining these four selections gives us a solid Bet Builder at 5/6 and I will take that as my main 1pt bet for this blockbuster clash.

Phil Foden is in supreme goalscoring form for Manchester City. He has now scored 19 goals in all competitions and is City’s second top scorer in the Champions League with five goals.

He scored a hat trick against Aston Villa in the league two weeks ago and scored a stunning goal against Madrid in the first leg. He is a big price to continue his goalscoring run and will be the first selection of our longshot double.

Moving on to Eduardo Camavinga. He averages the most tackles (2.7) and fouls (2.3) for Real Madrid in the Champions League this season and loves a cynical foul. He committed two fouls in the first leg and will have a tough ask of dealing with Manchester City’s dynamic midfield.

I expect him to mistime one of the tackles and pick up a yellow card in what is expected to be a feisty game with card-happy referee Daniele Orsato in charge of the proceedings.

Combining these two selections gives us a cracking longshot double and I will take that as my second bet for this game with a small 0.25pt stake.