Two European heavyweights lock horns in the Champions League play-offs this week.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid best bets
- Real Madrid to win – 15/8 with bet365
- Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals – 4/6 with bet365
- Kylian Mbappe to score any time – 13/10 with bet365
Manchester City vs Real Madrid odds
Find the latest match odds for Manchester City vs Real Madrid. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid predictions
When Manchester City and Real Madrid looked ahead to the 2024/25 Champions League, neither team anticipated being in the knockout phase play-offs.
A top-eight finish in the newly introduced league phase was the target for both clubs, who were the bookies’ favourites to lift the trophy before a ball had been kicked.
In the end, neither City nor Madrid really came close to securing direct access to the round of 16.
Pep Guardiola’s team started their continental campaign reasonably well, drawing 0-0 with Inter before registering back-to-back victories over Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague.
But a subsequent stretch which saw them collect just one point from 12 meant City had to beat Club Brugge on matchday eight to be guaranteed a play-off (they duly did, falling behind but coming back to win 3-1).
Madrid had the opposite problem: they started sluggishly but came on strong as the league phase wore on. Losses to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool made Madrid sweat (although perhaps not the unflappable Carlo Ancelotti), but triumphs over Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg and Brest saw them over the line.
Needless to say, both Guardiola and Ancelotti would have hoped for a kinder draw at this relatively early stage of the tournament. As it is, one of City or Madrid, the two most recent winners, will be out before the last 16.
Neither team is in perfect shape. City may have recovered somewhat from that disastrous run of one win in 13 games between the end of October and Boxing Day, but they still look like a shadow of their former selves.
Their last outing against Premier League opposition ended in a 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal, while City have also been beaten by Liverpool, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City of late. Their recent record in big games is pretty dismal.
Madrid’s form is much better, but a defensive injury crisis is threatening to derail their season. Lucas Vazquez pinged a hamstring against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, joining an injury list which already included Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal.
With a second leg still to come, nothing will be decided on Tuesday night. But a win for either City or Madrid at the Etihad Stadium would significantly boost their chances of making it through to the round of 16.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid betting tips
Manchester City host Real Madrid in a must-watch Champions League clash on Tuesday evening.
Real Madrid to win
Even for a manager of his vast experience, It took a while for Ancelotti to find the right formula this season.
The long-awaited signing of Kylian Mbappe last summer brought a fair few teething problems.
The France international hit the ground trudging on an individual level, while Ancelotti struggled to fit Mbappe in without comprising the balance and coherence of the collective.
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Madrid have made progress in that area since then, however, and they are starting to look like a formidable force once more. A record of one defeat in their last 14 games in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey speaks for itself.
Without Rodri, Manchester City are finding it impossible to prevent opposition counter-attacks. With Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Bellingham all fit and available, Madrid will do some real damage going forward.
Tip Real Madrid to win at 15/8 with bet365
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
These two teams have played out some wonderful matches in recent years, most notably Manchester City’s 4-3 win in 2022 and a thrilling 3-3 draw in 2024.
It is hard to envisage anything other than a high-scoring and entertaining affair on Tuesday.
Real Madrid’s patched-up defence is likely to be exploited by Manchester City. For all their issues, Guardiola’s side are still creating chances and Erling Haaland has continued to put the ball in the back of the net.
But as we touched on above, City are so easy to play through right now. They do not have enough legs in midfield and that will be a major problem against Madrid’s star-studded foursome up front.
Attacks will almost certainly get the better of defences in this one.
Go for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 4/6 with bet365
Kylian Mbappe to score any time
After a difficult start at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Mbappe has started to find his feet.
A strike against Atletico Madrid at the weekend took the Frenchman up to 23 goals for the season in all competitions. Nine of those have come in his last eight appearances.
Mbappe has only scored three times in the Champions League, though. The 26-year-old will be desperate to improve on that tally, especially in a massive match like this one.
Even if City were at their very best defensively, Mbappe has the talent to cause them problems.
And anyone who has watched Guardiola’s side recently knows they are not currently at their very best defensively.
Back Kylian Mbappe to score any time at 13/10 with bet365
How to watch Man City vs Real Madrid
- Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England.
- Date and time: Tuesday 11th February, 8pm.
- How to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
- Premier League winner predictions
- Premier League top scorer odds
- Premier League relegation odds
- Champions League winner odds
- Championship promotion odds
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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