Real Madrid and Manchester City meet in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the 12th time in six years on Wednesday night.
The first leg of the last-16 tie is set to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the return leg at the Etihad Stadium next week.
City come into this clash in better form, but Real are the record holders of this competition, and so will always fancy their chances to progress.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below using odds from bet365, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our free expert UCL predictions!
Contents
Real Madrid vs Manchester City key stats
- Real have lost two of their last four games in all competitions.
- City are unbeaten in 11 matches across all competitions (W9, D2).
- Only two of the previous 12 H2Hs have ended in draws.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City preview: Cityzens to cause chaos again?
| Real Madrid | vs | Man City |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd (LaLiga) | Position | 2nd (Premier League) |
| 63 | Points | 60 |
| 56 | Goals For | 59 |
| 23 | Goals Against | 27 |
| 11 | Clean Sheets | 12 |
| 4th | Home Rank | 1st |
| 1st | Away Rank | 3rd |
Based on the table, both teams seem evenly matched, although the strength of their respective divisions should be taken into account.
Indeed, with six Premier League teams in the last 16 of the UCL compared to just three from La Liga, one could conclude that the former is a stronger division.
Vinicius Jr scored in both play-off legs against Benfica.
City could also be argued to be a stronger attacking side than Real having scored more goals domestically, while defensively it is hard to split them with City also keeping more clean sheets, but conceding more goals.
The Cityzens have also been stronger at home than away this season, which could give Los Blancos further encouragement in the first leg.
However, Real have a better rank away from home than at the Bernabeu in La Liga, and that could also translate to the UCL.
In terms of this season's competition, both teams could hardly be split with Real finishing in ninth place in the league phase, just one point and one place below City in eighth.
Antoine Semenyo has scored seven goals in 15 appearances for Man City.
Real were one of the highest scorers over the eight games, finishing just two goals (21) below the top scorers Arsenal (23), while City were among the best defences having conceded just nine times.
Nonetheless, both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, with City perhaps just edging it in terms of overall quality.
Real Madrid vs Manchester City form guide & betting tips
| Real Madrid | vs | Man City |
|---|---|---|
| W-L-W-L-W | Form | W-W-W-D-W |
| 3 | Points | 7 |
| 5th | Form Table | 1st |
| 9 | Goals For | 10 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 4 |
Best bookie to bet on Real Madrid vs Man City – bet365
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Whispers predicts: Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City
Given the dominance in stats in the table, it is no surprise to see bet365 install City as the 1/1 favourites.
One key trend with recent H2Hs though is that both teams have scored in the previous five meetings, which makes Both Teams To Score (BTTS) - Yes at 8/15 almost a banker in our eyes!
Combining the two above give more reasonable odds to back at 5/2, which we can see coming through.
Star strikers Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are both doubts with injury for either side, so the Anytime goalscorer market could also be one worth exploring.
The goalscoring duties will likely rely on deadly wingers Vinicius Jr and Antoine Semenyo respectively in this case, and you can get 10/11 for either to score.
In terms of an outside pick, getting the exact scoreline of 2-1 to City is available at 8/1.
> Vinicius Jr or Semenyo to score at 10/11 | Likelihood: Probable
> City to win & BTTS - Yes at 5/2 | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score: 1-2 at 8/1| Likelihood: Outsider