The competitive action in the Champions League continues on Wednesday, as a fascinating second leg in the quarterfinals will be staged between Manchester City and Real Madrid. The teams played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Spain last week, meaning that it will be a winner-take-all showdown in Manchester this week.
A thrilling second leg in the Champions League is set for Wednesday, as two of the leading contenders in the outright betting collide. Only one of Man City or Real Madrid can progress through to the next round, and we are no nearer to finding out who that team will be following a thrilling 3-3 draw in Spain last week.
City took an early lead in that first leg through Bernardo Silva, but Madrid turned the game on its head within two first half minutes. Phil Foden dragged City level in the 66th minute, before Josko Gvardiol thought that he had netted the winner. But, Madrid dragged themselves back level with ten minutes remaining through Federico Valverde.
It was a thrilling clash, which marked the fourth time in Champions League history that both teams had netted at least three goals in a knockout tie. But, the draw means that Pep Guardiola is now winless in his last three visits to the Spanish capital.
City knocked Real Madrid out of the competition last term, meaning that they could become just the second team in history to eliminate Real in successive seasons. It may be a slight concern for the visiting side that they have only progressed from two of their last ten ties after failing to win a home first leg. But, both victories in the second legs were achieved in Manchester, beating United in the 1999-2000 and 2012-13 seasons.
City knocked Real out of the Champions League last season. City have also recorded victories in their last three home matches against Los Blancos, with all victories being achieved under Pep Guardiola. Their latest success was a 4-0 victory in the semi-final stage last term.
John Stones is the big player missing for City this week, as the central defender has been ruled out with a muscle injury. But, the England international should be fit enough to return over the weekend.
Real Madrid have welcomed back many of their top stars in recent weeks. However, Thibaut Courtois remains sidelined for the Spanish giants ahead of this second leg.
City and Real have become very familiar with one another in recent seasons, with this being the sixth time that the European giants have collided. All previous encounters have been exciting affairs, with the last five seeing a total of 23 goals being scored.
That means that there has been an average of 4.6 goals per game. In two of the last five matches, the opening goal in this fixture has been netted inside the opening two minutes.
Home advantage could be crucial for City in this second leg, as the reigning champions have been dominant at the Etihad Stadium across all competitions throughout 2023-24.
That bodes well for their chances of victory this week, especially considering that they have won each of their last three home matches against their Spanish rivals. We could see Phil Foden once again playing a key role in this second leg, and we could see him finding the net in a 3-1 home success for City to enhance their chances of winning a second straight treble.
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