Manchester City vs Real Madrid predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Read on for analysis as the clubs meet again, eight days on from a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital.
| Date | Wednesday 17th May 2023 |
| Kick-Off | 21:00 (CEST) |
| Stadium | Etihad |
| Competition | UEFA Champions League |
Manchester City vs Real Madrid Preview
Manchester City and Real Madrid meet again on Wednesday with their Champions League Semi-Final evenly poised ahead of the 2nd Leg at the Etihad. Two brilliant strikes from Vini Junior and Kevin De Bruyne ensured last week’s 1st Leg in Madrid ended 1-1.
These are two elite sides and it should be another very competitive game on Wednesday night. It’s a potentially season-defining match for Real Madrid. While they do have the Copa del Rey and Club World Cup in the bag already, victory here could end up turning an average or slightly below par season into another exceptional one, as they’d surely fancy their chances of winning the Final in Istanbul were they to make it.
Unsurprisingly, Carlo Ancelotti opted to ring the changes for the weekend league game against Getafe. Marco Asensio’s goal 20 minutes from time sealed a 1-0 win but it’ll be a very different eleven that takes to the field in Manchester. Los Blancos are hoping to be at full strength despite Eduardo Camavinga picking up a knock at the weekend. Ancelotti must decide whether to go with Rodrgyo again in the front three, or opt for the slightly more conservative approach of playing Fede Valverde on the right which could potentially see Camavinga move into midfield or Aurélien Tchouaméni come into the team.
City don’t have many selection issues either, although centre-back Nathan Ake is a confirmed absentee. Pep Guardiola did field a strong team at the weekend as Manchester City took a big leap towards winning another Premier League title with a 3-0 win at Everton with Ilkay Gundogan scoring twice. It’s no secret that this is the prize that City most dearly want though.
Erling Haaland was a frustrated and largely irrelevant figure for much of the 1st Leg as Real Madrid did a good job of controlling significant parts of the game, at least after surviving an early City onslaught. There may be similar periods in this match too with the English side in fantastic form overall and we could see Los Blancos adopt more of a counter-attacking approach this time around.
Score Prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Real Madrid (Agg: 3-3, Real Madrid to win on Penalties)
City are the favourites for this tie but Real Madrid’s experience and ability to perform on big nights like this will stand them in good stead. The visitors can also take confidence from an impressive 1st Leg display where they at times made City look relatively ordinary, something that is almost never the case in the Premier League.
As we witnessed again last week, both sides have individuals capable of moments of brilliance and it may just be a case of how many show up and put in big performances on the night. There are few outcomes that can be ruled out here but if both teams bring their A game, we could be in for a long and very entertaining night.
PLEASE NOTE – Our European football predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish teams playing in Europe. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.
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