Real Madrid vs Manchester City
The Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Manchester City is still finely poised as it heads to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg. The Citizens have a slight advantage after a thrilling 4-3 home win in the first leg, although they will be disappointed not to have built a much bigger lead after their dominant display.
City had their chances to kill off the tie but couldn’t convert, which is why Real Madrid’s Champions League 2022 odds of making it to yet another final are still quite decent.
The brilliant Karim Benzema again came to Real’s rescue with two goals in the first leg to keep them in the tie. And all eyes will once more be on the in-form Frenchman, who has promised more magic in Madrid and will be on a mission to fire Real back into the final.
Talking Points
Real Madrid rest stars in Spanish title-clinching win
Real Madrid’s morale heading into the second leg should be quite high after they clinched their 35th La Liga title over the weekend with a thumping 4-0 win at home against Espanyol.
As expected, Carlo Ancelotti opted not to start a number of his key players, including Benzema and Vinicius Jr, to save their legs for the crucial second leg against City. Although, the two did come on in the second half and combined for Real’s fourth goal.
Benzema is now up to an astonishing 42 goals in 42 games, 14 of which have come in this amazing Champions League run.
Casemiro came back to the side after missing the first leg due to suspension and played at centre-back against Espanyol with David Alaba still nursing a hamstring injury. Alaba is a doubt to play in the second leg, but Casemiro is expected to return to the heart of Real’s midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Meanwhile, it will likely be down to Fede Valverde and Rodrygo for the final starting spot. Valverde played in midfield in the first leg in Casemiro’s absence and is likely to occupy the defensive winger role on the right.
Although, Rodrygo has been in fine form of late with four goals in five games, including a brace in the title clincher against Espanyol, and he could yet play a crucial role in this tie like he did against Chelsea.
Man City can’t stop scoring
Manchester City had a perfect build-up to their key second-leg clash against Real Madrid as they thrashed another team donned all in white, Leeds United, 4-0 over the weekend.
The in-form Gabriel Jesus once again started at centre-forward, and he had another great game as he scored for the third game running. Meanwhile, Phil Foden played in the No 10 role and was fantastic as he set up two of the four goals.
City have now scored four or more goals for the third game on the trot, with Jesus contributing six of their 13 total goals.
Jesus and Foden made plenty of Champions League 2022 highlights in the first leg in Manchester and will likely keep their places in Madrid. Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are expected to return to the midfield after getting rested at Leeds.
On the other end of the pitch, Kyle Walker is still a doubt to feature in the second leg due to injury, as is John Stones. But Joao Cancelo is available once again after being suspended for the first leg and should get the start at right-back.
History
History will not be on Real Madrid’s side in this must-win second leg. Despite their remarkable dominance in the European Cup, Los Blancos have never come back to win a semi-final tie after losing the first leg in eight tries.
Moreover, Manchester City came to the Bernabeu to beat Real 2-1 in their most recent visit back in 2019-20. After Isco scored on the hour mark for Real, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne scored two late goals as City came from behind to win.
Betting Tip
SBOTOP odds have Real Madrid as 3.15 underdogs to win the second leg at home. Manchester City are 2.12 favourites, while a draw is 3.55.
The first leg was a seven-goal thriller, and with all the attacking talent on display, the second leg figures to be another high-scoring affair as well.
Real will obviously give it their all at home, but even with Benzema’s brilliance, City should still have enough to get the result they need to return to the Champions League final.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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