Manchester City will have their work cut out for them when they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie on Tuesday.
After a humbling 3-0 loss at the Bernabeu, Pep Guardiola’s side must now hunt for their first-ever three-goal comeback in European competition.
On the other hand, Real Madrid have advanced in all 35 European ties in which they won the first leg by three or more goals.
Read our Manchester City vs Real Madrid prediction, preview and betting tips with odds from bet365. You can also check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
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Manchester City vs Real Madrid key stats
- Real Madrid have won three of their last four encounters with Manchester City.
- Five of the last six H2Hs produced goals at both ends.
- Man City conceded first in four of their last five clashes with Real Madrid.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid preview: Can City make history?
| Manchester City | vs | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd (Premier League) | Position | 2nd (La Liga) |
| 61 | Points | 66 |
| 60 | Goals For | 60 |
| 28 | Goals Against | 24 |
| 12 | Clean Sheets | 11 |
| 2nd | Home Rank | 3rd |
| 3rd | Away Rank | 1st |
No team in history has ever knocked Real Madrid out of a European tie after losing the first leg by three goals. However, the Etihad has seen its fair share of miracles, and with City looking to overturn a deficit fueled by Federico Valverde's stunning first-leg hat-trick, the stage is set for a historic night in Manchester.
Manchester City have a few injury concerns ahead of this crucial encounter.
Manchester City and Real Madrid are meeting in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase for the fifth season in a row.
Guardiola will be unable to call upon the services of Josko Gvardiol, who remains sidelined with a broken leg, while youngster Rico Lewis is unavailable because of an ankle problem.
The lineup choices in the first leg dealt a huge blow to the team, and with no one suspended for the return leg, it is expected that the former Bayern Munich manager will not repeat the same mistakes. However, Gigi Donnarumma, Marc Guehi, Bernardo Silva, Antoine Semenyo, Jeremy Doku, and Erling Haaland are all expected to start.
Erling Haaland has scored 56 goals in 57 UEFA Champions League appearances.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will be without a few key players for this trip to Manchester, but none of them are due to suspension, rather injuries. There is a chance talisman Kylian Mbappe will be ready to feature at the Etihad after the former PSG forward made giant strides towards regaining full fitness.
That said, Rodrygo Goes (ACL), Jude Bellingham (hamstring) Dani Ceballos (calf), Ferland Mendy (muscle), Alvaro Carreras (calf), Eder Militao (tendon) and David Alaba (muscle) are all ruled out.
Should Mbappe be cleared fit for this game, coach Alvaro Arbeloa could resist the urge to start the former PSG star, as the Spaniard may prefer to begin the contest with the bulk of the players that kicked off last week's big win at the Bernabeu.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid form guide & betting tips
| Manchester City | vs | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| W-D-W-L-D | Form | W-L-W-W-W |
| 7 | Goals For | 11 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 4 |
| L-W-L-W-L | Champions League form | W-L-W-W-W |
Whispers Predicts: Manchester City 2-2 Real Madrid
At 1.55, Manchester City are considered favourites by bet365. However, the Citizens have managed one win in their last four matches across all competitions, while Real Madrid are on a three-game winning streak.
Interestingly, Real Madrid have lost only one of the last six clashes between these teams, so we believe there's more value in backing Los Blancos not to lose at 2.40
Moreover, three of Real Madrid's last four trips to the Etihad produced at least four goals, and over 3.5 total goals can be backed at 2.25
Given that five of the last six H2Hs featured goals at both ends, we fancy our chances of Draw & BTTS - Yes at 5.50.
> BTTS - Yes at 1.63 | Likelihood: Probable
> Over 3.5 goals at 2.25 | Likelihood: Probable
> Match result - Draw at 5.00 | Likelihood: Possible
> Draw & BTTS - Yes at 5.50 | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 2-2 at 15.00 | Likelihood: Outsider