*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
Man City are once again on the hunt to win the Champions League but they’ll have to get past Real Madrid in this tricky semi-final first.
The soon-to-be La Liga champions knocked out Chelsea in the quarters and they’re looking for another Premier League scalp here.
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City are at home in the first leg and they’ll be hopeful of getting a commanding lead to take over to Madrid for the second leg next week.
And here’s our Bet Builder for the big one on Tuesday night.
The latest football odds are on PaddyPower.com right now
*A Bet Builder with these four bets pays at approximately 50/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
Tuesday 26th April: Man City v Real Madrid
TV: BT Sport 2
Manchester City -1
Manchester City disposed of Real Madrid’s cross-town rivals in an ugly quarter-final last time out, but they should find the going a little easier against the Spanish champions-elect.
Real Madrid find themselves in the last four of the Champions League despite being second-best for large parts of their ties against PSG and Chelsea and it is almost as though their history and character alone has seen them through this far.
Charisma will only take you so far, however, and Real meet a polished Man City side that will take some stopping in this year’s competition. City have won four out of five home games in this season’s Champions League, only failing to beat Sporting Lisbon in a nothing game after they had won the first leg 5-0.
They will not make the same mistakes Chelsea did in the last-eight at Stamford Bridge and should look to have one foot in the final after Tuesday night.
Both Teams to Score? No
Real Madrid scored three goals in their last Champions League away fixture, but it would be unsurprising if they mirrored Atletico Madrid’s pragmatic approach on Tuesday night.
Atletico held City to just one goal in the last round, a similar tactic to Real’s rear-guard action in the 1-0 defeat to PSG in the Last 16. It would be hugely surprising to see Carlo Ancelotti adopt anything other than a defensive approach at the Etihad on Tuesday.
City, on the other hand, are yet to concede a goal in this season’s knockout stages and have rarely even conceded a chance.
In what is likely to be a game of attack vs defence, it would be very surprising if City conceded a goal in the knockout stages for the first time.
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Kevin De Bruyne to Score Anytime
Kevin De Bruyne has scored some incredibly valuable goals this season. The Belgian midfielder put City ahead twice in the Manchester Derby at the beginning of March as they romped to a 4-1 victory, while he also scored in both league fixtures against Liverpool, albeit with both goals coming courtesy of a deflection.
It was also De Bruyne’s goal that finally broke Atletico’s resistance in the last-eight, giving City a crucial lead to take to Madrid.
He has already easily surpassed his tally of 10 from last season and needs just three goals between now and the end of the season to record his best-ever goalscoring season in a City shirt.
He can help send the Cityzens on their way to a second consecutive Champions League final on Tuesday night.
Karim Benzema to Have Two or More Shots on Target
While Real Madrid’s charisma has arguably seen them survive in the Champions League for longer than they should have, one thing is absolutely certain; they would be nowhere near the last-four if it were not for Karim Benzema.
The French striker has reached a new level this season, particularly in the Champions League knockout stages, where he has scored seven of their eight goals.
His back-to-back hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea helped to edge those ties in Real’s favour, but he will struggle to make such an impact against City over two legs. That is not to say he will not try. Benzema averages 4.3 shots per game in the Champions League this season and will undoubtedly be the chief goal threat on Tuesday night.
It wouldn’t be overly surprising to see him work Ederson at least twice.
Man City v Real Madrid Bet Builder tips:
Manchester City -1
Both Teams to Score? No
Kevin De Bruyne to Score Anytime
Karim Benzema to Have Two or More Shots on Target
*A Bet Builder with these four bets pays at approximately 46/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
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*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
TUESDAY FOOTY TIPS
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