Real Madrid and Manchester City lock horns in the UEFA Champions League for the second time in two years as they come together in tonight’s quarter-final first leg.
Last season’s affair saw Man City run out 5-1 winners on aggregate, progressing through to the final where they beat Inter Milan 1-0 to secure a historic first Champions League title and finalise a fantastic treble.
This season sees the two clash once again, and the winner of this tie will be one of the major favourites to go on and win the entire competition.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Tuesday 9 April, 20:00
Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid will be looking to right the wrongs that occurred in last season’s embarrassment against Man City, when they drew 1-1 in their home leg before being demolished 4-0 in their visit to the Etihad Stadium.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are enjoying a much richer vein of form coming into these games this time around though, having not lost since a crushing 4-2 defeat at the hands of rivals Atletico Madrid in extra-time of the Copa del Rey last 16.
That leaves Real Madrid unbeaten in their previous 13 matches while they also have not been beaten at home in their last 26 outings, last losing to Villarreal in April 2023, leaving them without defeat in home games in over a year.
These streaks have left Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by eight points, losing only one game in the league all season, leaving them with plenty of confidence as they hunt their record-extending 15th Champions League title.
They will have to improve on the performances that saw them narrowly squeeze past RB Leipzig in the last 16, winning 1-0 and drawing 1-1 in the second leg, if they are to progress past Pep Guardiola’s powerhouse City team.
Man City have been enjoying an extremely positive season of their own, currently in the race for the English Premier League title alongside Liverpool and Arsenal and drawn against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final as they look to repeat the treble for a second consecutive season.
They come into this one having not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the beginning of December, going on to win 21 and draw four of their last 25 matches.
This outrageous form is matched in their recent Champions League endeavours, winning all of their last 10 matches in the competition, a streak that started in their 4-0 triumph over Real Madrid at the Etihad last season.
Bet9ja Tips
This match looks to be arguably the toughest to call of any of the quarter-final ties in this year’s Champions League, pitting together the two managers with the most wins in the competition’s history.
However, Real Madrid have only lost to Man City at the Bernabeu in one of their five clashes with the current holders, and we believe that they will be able to use the home advantage to push them over the line with a victory. A home win is priced up at 2.80.
Vinicius Junior has scored in all of his last four outings for Real Madrid, netting six time in these four games, and we fancy the Brazilian to continue this goalscoring form with another one in this game. You can get odds of Vinicius to score anytime at 3.25 with Bet9ja.
Bet9ja Odds (at time of writing): Real Madrid win: 2.80, Draw: 3.35, Manchester City win: 2.58
Booking Codes:
6GFQ3JX, 6GFQ6VQ
