Man City welcome European giants Real Madrid to the Etihad on Tuesday night. This is probably the pick of the bunch of the next set of UCL games and it’s easy to see why. We have two brilliant attacking sides on display vs depleted defences – setting this one up perfectly for goals and action. Both sides had a disappointing league phase in the competition, with Man City just about securing a top 24 finish.
As many will remember these two sides met in the semi finals last season, which produced two end to end and action-packed games – ending 1-1 and 3-3. We should expect to see the same again with an open game that should produce a number of chances and goals. Both teams come into this game with injury concerns that could shape the dynamics of the match. Manchester City will miss several key players, including Rodri, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake, and Oscar Bobb. Additionally, goalkeeper Ederson’s availability is uncertain, which could impact the stability at the back. These absences in defense and midfield might create vulnerabilities, making it likely that both sides will see more space to exploit in attack.
Real Madrid is also struggling with a series of key defensive injuries. With Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, and Eder Militao all out, the Madrid backline will look significantly weaker. The loss of Lucas Vázquez, along with the forced adjustments in the defensive shape, could leave gaps for City’s forwards to exploit. Despite these issues, the attacking potential of the Spanish side, led by Mbappé and Júnior, ensures they’ll still be dangerous on the counter.
This fixture has historically seen a high number of goals with over 2 goals in 7/9 previous meetings. Manchester City have seen over 2 match goals in all their previous 9 matches in all competitions with Real Madrid seeing over 2 goals in 13/15 of their previous matches. Interestingly, this fixture has seen BTTS in 8/9 previous games.
Both sides are spearheaded with world class forwards. Both Erling Haaland for Man City and Kylian Mbappe for Real Madrid will be confident in getting plenty of chances and shots. Both players are very shot heavy on the best of days and with the chances both teams should have here, expect Haaland & Mbappe to have 2 shots at a very minimum.
TIP: Over 2.5 Match Goals, Both Teams to Score & Haaland and Mbappe O1.5 Shots @ 2.30
