Two of the best soccer club teams on the planet throw down on Tuesday when Real Madrid hosts Manchester City in the first leg of a 2-leg aggregate. Man City looks unbeatable. But Carlo Ancelotti and his crew get the Sky Blues on their pitch at Santiago Bernabeau on Tuesday. Will City get the edge? Or is the match Real’s to lose?

Nitrobetting shares the latest news, soccer odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season. Let’s get a closer look at the upcoming Real Madrid vs. Manchester City face-off in this preview.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City 2023 Champions League Semifinal Leg 1 Info

• When: Tuesday 9, 2023, 3:00 PM ET
• Where: Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain
• TV: CBS, BT Sport 1, TUDN, Univision
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Soccer Odds: Real Madrid (+195) / Manchester City (+119) / Draw (+265)

READ MORE: Milan vs. Inter 2023 Champions League Odds & Preview (May 10)

Why is Real Madrid a safe bet to win?

At times, Real’s attack doesn’t look like much. But before decrying Ancelotti’s squad, it’s important to note that Carlo understands where his team is in both La Liga’s Primera Division and the Champions League.

Ancelotti knows his best shot at a major title this season is the CL. So he’s not going to throw Karim Benzema, Valverde, Modric, etc. and all into a match versus Osasuna.

Against Chelsea in the second leg of a 2-leg aggregate, Real took just 9 shots, but 6 were on goal. El Blanco scored on 2 of the 9 shots. Rodrygo scored both goals, which tells us, Real’s attack is plenty deep enough to upset the Sky Blues.

In the same match, which happened at Stamford Bridge over the Blues’ pitch, El Blanco held Chelsea to 19 total shots. The Blues shot 6 on goal, but Real didn’t yield a goal.

Real’s defense is lock down city. Courtois remains one of the world’s best goalies, if not the best. The backline boasts Antonio Rudiger, one of the world’s top fullbacks, along with Eder Militao.

Possible Line-Up

• Courtois
• Carvajal
• Militao
• Rudiger
• Camavinga
• Valverde
• Modric
• Kroos
• Rodrygo
• Benzema
• Vinicius

Real Madrid’s Last 5

• Win: 2-1 vs. Osasuna
• Loss: 2-0 vs. Real Sociedad
• Win: 4-2 vs. Almeria
• Loss: 4-2 vs. Girona
• Win: 2-0 vs. Celta Vigo

Why is Manchester City a safe bet to win?

Although undefeated in their last 5, Manchester City’s attack has actually slowed down in recent matches. The Sky Blues beat Leeds by a single goal in their last.

Even the 3-0 victory over West Ham United was just an okay win. A couple of weeks ago, City was hanging 7 goals onto teams like RB Leipzig and 6 onto a team like Burnley.

When the Sky Blues attack is on its close to impossible to stop. Erling Haaland can score seemingly at will while Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, and Kevin De Bruyne can make their shot.

Earlier this season, City’s defense struggled. In recent weeks, the Sky Blues have dominated. Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker are the key to a backline that almost never allows a clean shot on terrific Brazilian goalie Ederson.

Arsenal, which the Citizens are battling for a Premier League title, took 8 total shots but only 2 were on goal. In City’s 3-0 victory over Bayern in the Champions League quarters, Munich took 12 shots and just 4 were on goal.

Possible Line-Up

• Ederson
• Akanji
• Dias
• Ake
• Stones
• Rodri
• Silva
• De Bruyne
• Gundogan
• Grealish
• Haaland

Manchester City’s Last 5

• Win: 2-1 vs. Osasuna
• Loss: 2-0 vs. Real Sociedad
• Win: 4-2 vs. Almeria
• Loss: 4-2 vs. Girona
• Win: 2-0 vs. Celta Vigo

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Betting Prediction

On paper, Manchester City wins. Few teams can hang with Bayern Munich, but City didn’t just hang. In 2 quarterfinals matches, the Citizens dominated.

But Bayern isn’t the same team as Real Madrid. Ancelotti is the greatest Champions League head coach of all time. Not only that, but he’s been smart with his lineups, not expending Karim Benzema and Luka Modrić’s energy in meaningless La Liga matches.

This happens over Real’s pitch. RM matches up well with the Sky Blues. Also, Ancelotti can do so many things on the attack, including using Benzema as a decoy in order to unleash Rodrygo and Junior on runs. Although the game will be tight, Real gets it done in regulation.

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