Manchester City vs Real Madrid betting preview: Best odds and predictions for the UCL clash

MANCHESTER CITY and Real Madrid clash in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final this Wednesday.

The tie is set up beautifully after a pulsating 3-3 in Madrid last week. With home advantage, City are expected to win. But as we’ve seen before, nothing is certain when these two teams meet.  

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Quick betting tips for Man City vs Real Madrid

• Real Madrid over 1.5 goals – 21/10 with Spreadex
• Vinicius Jr. to score anytime – 3/1 with bet365
• Over 3.5 goals – 11/8 with bet365

Man City vs Real Madrid odds

Here are the latest match odds for Man City vs Real Madrid from our favourite football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid betting preview

In the 2022/23 Champions League semi-final, Manchester City left Spain with a 1-1 draw and thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the second leg on their way to lifting the Champions League trophy for the first ever time.

This year, the first leg was even better, with both teams coming from behind to play out a thrilling draw. But this Madrid side is a far stronger outfit than the team that City demolished at the Etihad just under 12 months ago.

These are probably the top two sides in the competition. At the moment, City are 13/8 favourites to retain the Champions League. Madrid are 13/2 third-favourites to win it for a record 15th time. 

In the betting to win the tie and qualify for the semi-final, City is 3/10 and Madrid 12/5. If Madrid can do a number on Pep’s team, they will probably go favourites to win the trophy at Wembley later this year.    

It will be difficult for Carlo Ancelotti and his team, as City has a full squad to call on. 

Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake were available to face Luton last Saturday, even though they didn’t feature from the bench. Kevin de Bruyne is also available after missing the first leg due to sickness. And Phil Foden is okay after limping off at the Bernabeu last Tuesday. 

Madrid are still without the injured Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba, while Aurelien Tchouameni is suspended. 

Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga and Toni Kroos started on the bench against Mallorca last Saturday and will all be in line for a recall against City.

Manchester City are formidable at home. They should be too strong for Madrid. But if anybody can come to Manchester and upset the odds, it’s Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Man City vs Real Madrid key stats

• Manchester City sit top of the English Premier League with 73 points, two clear of rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, who both lost last weekend. 
• Real Madrid are top of La Liga with 78 points and an eight-point lead over Barcelona. Unlike City, Madrid isn’t really under any pressure in their domestic championship.
• City have reached the last eight of the Champions League by winning Group G with six wins from six. In the Round of 16, they defeated Copenhagen 6-2 on aggregate, winning 3-1 in both matches.
• Real Madrid has had a tougher run than City to get this far. They comfortably topped Group C with a 100% record. But were made to work by RB Leipzig in the Round of 16, eventually winning 2-1 on aggregate. They did ride their luck in both matches against the Germans. 
• In the Champions League, the two teams have met 11 times. City has won four, there have been four draws, and Real have won three.
• In their latest head-to-head fixtures, City has won four of the most recent seven matches dating back to 2020. Real has won one, and there have been two draws.

Man City vs Real Madrid best bets

Find our best bets for Man City vs Real Madrid below. Odds for the bets are provided by the best sportsbooks, as per our expert reviews. Odds in the betting tips are subject to change.

Real Madrid over 1.5 goals (Spreadex)

Madrid are good odds to qualify and with City looking very vulnerable at the back, Madrid to win the tie was nearly one of our best bets. 

Instead, we’re going for Carlo Ancelotti’s team to score two or more goals. Madrid will have to score more than once to knock City out, and this bet also covers us if City wins a high-scoring thriller. 

Back over 1.5 goals for Real Madrid at 21/10 with Spreadex

Vinicius Jr. to score anytime (bet365)

Vinicius Jr. could well find himself up against his old nemesis Kyle Walker on Wednesday. A lot has been made of Walker’s return, but we simply don’t know how fit he is.

City have been vulnerable on the counter-attack this season. Carlo Ancelotti will know this, and Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo could find themselves getting plenty of chances.

We’re going with Vinicius Jr to score anytime. He is 3/1 with bet365.

Back Vinicius Jr. to score anytime at 3/1 with bet365

Over 3.5 goals (bet365)

For another six goals, you can get 8/1 with Sky Bet. We wouldn’t rule it out, but we are playing safe instead. 

We are tempted by the 10/3 available for over 4.5 goals, and it’s 5/4 for over 1.5 goals in the first half. Both look like possibilities. 

But this match has the look of a 2-2 or 3-1 scoreline (in the 90 minutes). There will be chances for both teams. So plenty of goals look the safest way to go. 

Back over 3.5 goals at 11/8 with bet365

How to watch Man City vs Real Madrid

• Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
• Time: 20:00 BST on Wednesday, April 17th
• Where to watch: TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate

About the author

Dean Etheridge

Dean is a freelance sports betting writer and website owner who specialises in football and cricket. With many years of experience writing for his own publications and others, Dean can turn his hand to a wide variety of sports, using his extensive knowledge and sense of humour to provide expert content with a totally different perspective. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge) and Twitter (@etheridge_dean).

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