More Champions League action on Wednesday as Manchester City welcome Real Madrid at the Etihad.
Manchester Versus Madrid
After the highly entertaining 3-3 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday, it is all to play for in the return leg of this quarter-final clash.
Very Finely Poised
They say that the Champions League only truly comes alive when it reaches the quarter-final stage, and based on what we saw last week, that statement could not have been reinforced any further.
Breathless encounters in all four of the ties that were paired together after the quarter-final draw, the most breathless of all must surely have been the battle of the Santiago Bernabeu between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Six goals shared between Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola’s men, the split was an even one at three goals apiece and with their being plenty of ebb and flow throughout, neither of these two European heavyweights could land the necessary knockout blow.
Both teams found themselves on the canvas but also had the temerity to pick themselves up and go again and with the away goals rule no longer being a factor in all of this, it is hard to say who would have won on the judges scorecard.
With that being said, it is very rare for a team to go to the Santiago Bernabeu and not win after scoring three goals. However, a lot can also be said for the balance of Manchester City and regardless of their attacking output, they will also concede at the other end.
Something that was on display at the weekend and in a 24-hour period where the defending Premier League champions would return to the summit after they did their bit and their nearest rivals failed to do theirs, even a comprehensive home win over Luton came at a small cost.
That cost was the failure to keep a clean sheet against the Hatters and although Ross Barkley’s late goal was nothing more than a consolation for the visitors, it did highlight that City’s defence can be breached.
As for the weekend warriors of Real Madrid, they only edged past Mallorca at the Son Moix and although it was not anything resembling a classic performance, it was one that keeps the eight-point gap over Barcelona intact.
A return to the La Liga summit looks more than likely, but Los Blancos will also be eyeing up an eventual reuniting with their Champions League crown and if they can knock out the current wearers of it, outright success number 15 soon appears a lot closer.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips, and I think this will be the end of the road for Real Madrid. City got the better of them at the Etihad in last season’s meeting and I believe they will do so again. A home win and both teams to score is currently priced at 2/1.
In addition to this, I think the hosts will win by a two-goal margin, but they will not be short when it comes to goals. The usual clean sheet sacrifice before a 3-1 win and entry to the last four. An outcome priced at 11/1.
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