Champions League: Real Madrid vs Man City quarterfinals leg 1 betting preview

It’s finally here. The Champions League quarterfinals begin on Tuesday and one of them happens to be a mega-clash with two massive sides involved. Real Madrid will welcome title-holders Manchester City to the Bernabeu for the opening leg, a rematch of last year’s semifinals. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM ET. Los Blancos just barely got past RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 but continue to fly high domestically with one hand already on the La Liga title. As for the Cityzens, they hammered Copenhagen 6-2 on aggregate in the last round to set up this tie. This should be a very interesting one, especially considering there’s some key players missing. We’ll discuss that more below.

Real Madrid

Los Blancos are always considered a threat in the Champions League, having won the competition more times than any other club. And while they won’t love facing Man City in the quarterfinals, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will fancy their chances. Madrid flew through the group stages with a perfect 6-0-0 record, finishing above Napoli, Sporting Braga, and Union Berlin.

Real then came up against Leipzig in the last 16 and won 1-0 in the first leg before a 1-1 stalemate in the return tie, with Vinicius Junior scoring the decisive goal. The Brazilian has been a force all season and has netted three times in the Champions League. With Kyle Walker unavailable for City, Vinicius could be having some real fun in the final third on Tuesday. 

Madrid’s best player in this competition has been Englishman Jude Bellingham, who is developing into one of the best all-around midfielders in the world. He’s scored four times and assisted another four. Bellingham is easily one of Ancelotti’s most important players and he’ll be crucial in the ultimate outcome in this quarterfinal affair. If he can win the midfield battle, Los Blancos can definitely come out on top and potentially knock off the holders. The hosts are a slim underdog in the first leg if you’re planning to do any soccer betting.

Manchester City

The reigning champs are a clear favorite to win the Champions League again and for good reason. City is in the middle of the title race in the Premier League and hasn’t dropped a single point in this season’s UCL, also going 6-0-0 in the group stages before hammering Copenhagen in the last 16. They’ve bagged 24 goals and conceded just nine in eight games overall.

By no surprise, Erling Haaland is the leading man with six goals in the Champions League while Phil Foden, who just hit 20 goals on the season, has netted four times while also assisting another three. City is in top form at the moment and hasn’t tasted defeat since last December. Foden led the way with a brace last Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa before the Sky Blues also took care of Crystal Palace over the weekend. Pep Guardiola’s group is one point behind Liverpool and Arsenal for top spot in the EPL. 

City is enjoying a run of 10 straight wins in the Champions League, which highlights their sheer dominance. It’s the third consecutive season they will lock horns with Madrid in the competition, having comfortably eliminated them last spring to book their spot in the final, where the English giants bested Inter Milan. The Sky Blues are a slim favorite for the first leg at BetVictor.

Injury news

Eder Militao is back in the mix for Madrid after recovering from ACL surgery, but Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba remain sidelined. Dani Ceballos is also dealing with an injury of his own. For Man City, most of their absences lay at the back, which is concerning. Walker is out for Tuesday’s affair, while Josko Gvardiol is doubtful despite making the trip to Madrid. Nathan Ake is also hurt.