It’s only half-time in what is being hyped as one of the biggest games in this Champions League campaign. The Etihad Stadium will host the action next Wednesday as arguably two of the best teams in club football play each other for a place in the Champions League final in Istanbul. Real Madrid is well accustomed to grinding away results in European fixtures, while Man City seem to always stumble in the last hurdle, let’s see if they have a chance of winning it this time around.
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MAN CITY
A good performance was needed by the Sky Blues to go to the Bernabeu and, at the very least, come back with a draw, which they managed to do successfully. In the early stages of the game, it was tactical as one would expect from two masterminds of the game. The usual shift of John Stones into the midfield was restricted by Real Madrid’s high press but as the game progressed, the gaps started to appear and the Englishmen managed to progress up the field, helping Man City gain more control of the game.
The game was characterised by great players cancelling each other out, but an incredible long-range effort from Vinicious Jr gave Los Blancos the lead, which was later cancelled off by a thumping effort from Kevin de Bruyne. The way that the game might shape up in the second leg might be similar with Man City imposing their game more on Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola and his team have worked tirelessly to to get themselves in this position, now it’s showtime.
We are pricing Man City to win with a correct score of 2-1 at 8.25, with Erling Haaland to score anytime during the game at 1.67.
REAL MADRID
Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid would have liked to take a lead to the Etihad, but it’s all in the balance as they travel to Manchester for a chance to extend their current record of Champions League titles. Eduardo Camavinga was one of the best-performing players in a white shirt, defending brilliantly and also when allowed to roam further up the pitch to create openings for his midfielders. Despite not playing in his normal role in midfield, he has adapted well, and Ancelotti can consider him a Swiss army knife, capable of filling in any position needed. Karim Benzema did not enjoy his best match as he did the last time they met Man City, but his teammate Vinicious Jr had a lot of fun toying with Kyle Walker.
The battle in the middle of the pitch will be the most important of them all. How well Luka Modric and Toni Kross handle the dynamic Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan? The atmosphere will be electric as the English club yearns for a Champions League title, but the experience of this Real Madrid side cannot be understated and should never be underestimated.
We are pricing an early goal from Real Madrid at 2.90, whilst a correct score of 1-0 for Los Blancos is valued at 15.00. A Karim Benzema goal comes in at 2.95.
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*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing