Manchester City - Real Madrid predictions and free betting tips [17/04/2024]

On Wednesday, 17 April, as part of the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Manchester City will host Real Madrid on their home turf. Last Saturday, the Citizens reclaimed their leadership in the Premier League table, whereas Los Blancos are confidently cruising towards the Spanish championship with no defeats since mid-January.

Predicted Line-ups

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.

Venue

The match will be held in Manchester, at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City

The current Treble winners still contend for the championship title in all competitions. The English side managed to draw last week at the Santiago Bernabeu after an exhilarating thriller that ended in a draw (3:3). Pep Guardiola's men easily clinched the top spot in the group stage, ahead of Leipzig, Young Boys, and Crvena zvezda. They then bested Copenhagen in the ⅛ finals (with an aggregate of 6:2 after two matches). The hosts continue to defend their Premier League title and are competing with Arsenal and Liverpool for the spots under the sun.

After vanquishing Luton Town (5:1) last weekend, the Citizens capitalised on their rivals' slip-ups and pulled away by 2 points. What's even more significant is that the Mancunians have been undefeatable across all competitions since 6 December! This Wednesday, Man City is prepared to field their optimal line-up. Kyle Walker, who missed the first match, should be available for the return leg albeit having remained on the bench in Saturday's match against Luton. 

Real Madrid

Real Madrid showed a remarkable performance in the first leg last week. Many assumed that Los Blancos would capitulate after conceding the third goal, but Carlo Ancelotti's side managed to equalise the scoreline thanks to a superb shot from Federico Valverde (3:3). Just like their upcoming rival, the most successful side on the continent had topped their group in the group stage, defeating Napoli, Braga, and Union Berlin, though they just narrowly overcame Leipzig in the previous round (aggregate 2:1).

In contrast, in La Liga, the capital club is on track to win another league title, still leading Barcelona by 8 points. Last Saturday, the visitors maintained their advantage, defeating Mallorca 0:1 with a goal from Tchouaméni. It's worth noting that Madrid have only managed two victories in their last four away matches across all competitions. Nonetheless, Los Blancos have been unbeaten since mid-January when they were ejected from the Copa del Rey ⅛ finals by Atletico Madrid. 

Head-to-Head meetings

For the third consecutive year, these two giants face each other in the Champions League playoffs. Last year, City crushed Los Blancos at the Etihad in the return leg (winning 4:0) after a 1:1 draw at Bernabeu.

Match Forecast: Manchester City vs Real Madrid

After a commendable draw at the Bernabeu and with the return of De Bruyne, Walker, and Ederson, City has every chance of crushing the renowned giant at home for the second year in a row. Real Madrid has been weakened by the player losses and narrowly escaped defeat even with the support of their fans, and they have never won at the Etihad in their history. My prediction - a triumph for the favourite.

Goals Total Forecast

Both teams boast a phenomenal attack line, so it is reasonable to expect a repeat of a high-scoring performance this Wednesday. I'm betting on over 2.5 goals in total.

Corner Kicks Forecast

Both sides advocate an exclusively attacking style of football and have explosive wings - I expect at least 10 corner kicks from the teams.

Yellow Cards Forecast

In all four previous head-to-head matches, these teams earned at least four cautions in total. My prediction - over 3.5 total yellow cards.

Score Forecast

I'm betting on a precise score of 3:1 in favour of Manchester City.