Real Madrid vs Manchester City prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2025-02-18 20:00.
[p]A 92nd-minute winner in the first leg means that 15-time UEFA Champions League (UCL)/European Cup winners Real Madrid are close to knocking Manchester City out of Europe for the third time in four seasons. Despite limping to a third straight winless game in La Liga over the weekend (D2, L1), history is on their side here as they’ve progressed on 37 of the 39 occasions they’ve won the first leg of a European knockout stage tie away from home. [/p]
[p]Ruthless at the Bernabéu, Real have found themselves on the scoresheet in all but one of their last 78 UCL home outings, averaging 2.65 goals per game in the process. Some of those goals helped contribute to a solid overall home record against English opposition (W12, D9, L4), although the fact that Real’s last three UCL eliminations all came against Premier League opponents offers a note of caution. [/p]
[p]A lack of staying power could arguably be City’s undoing this season as defeat in the first leg was their third UCL loss after scoring the opener this season – no side has ever lost more in a single campaign. Pep Guardiola’s men made some progress on that front over the weekend as they swept Newcastle aside (4-0), although the next psychological hurdle is to overcome a first-leg deficit to progress in the UCL for the very first time at the fifth attempt. [/p]
[p]Guardiola must end his own longest losing streak of UCL away games (L3) in order to turn the tables on what will be his tenth continental clash against Carlo Ancelotti. Guardiola is yet to defeat his counterpart away from home (D2, L2), with his three such games as City boss contributing to a rather limp overall away record for the club against Spanish opponents (W4, D4, L8). [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Vinicius Junior found motivation from City’s ill-thought-out tifo in the first leg, going on to assist twice to secure his ninth and tenth goal contributions across his last five UCL games (G7, A3). Scoring in both halves of the first leg, City’s Erling Haaland (at 24 years and 213 days, and with 49 goals) could become the fastest player to reach 50 UCL goals in terms of both appearances and age. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Seven of the last eight H2Hs saw goals in both halves, with as many also seeing both teams score. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Matthew Billon[/i][/p]