Man City and Real Madrid will face each other for the fourth consecutive season in the UCL, as they met in the quarterfinals last year and the semifinals in 2023 and 2022. Both teams had their ups and downs this season, but the Citizens will focus more on the UCL after realistically losing hope of winning the EPL.
Two of the best teams in the world will clash early in the UCL playoffs, so what should we expect from this matchup?
| ℹ️ Tournament: | UEFA Champions League season 2024-25, Knockout Play-offs (1st leg) |
| ⚽️ Venue: | Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England |
| 🗓️ Date: | 11 February 2025 |
| ⏰ Time: | 20:00 GMT on Tuesday |
According to the best football 2025 bookmakers, Manchester City are the slight home favorites at 2.25 (5/4). A draw is offered at 3.90 (29/10), while Real Madrid are the away underdogs at 2.90 (19/10) to beat Man City in the 1st leg at the Etihad.
The Citizens have had the advantage over Los Blancos in recent years, as in the last 10 head-to-head games, Manchester City won five, drew twice, and Real Madrid won three. Pep Guardiola beat Carlo Ancelotti six times and drew once, and the Italian manager won five games.
Man City are currently sitting in 5th place in the Premier League standings, 15 points below the leaders Liverpool. The Citizens barely qualified for the UCL playoffs, having finished in 22nd spot on the Champions League standings. Man City are through to the EFL Cup round of 16 and are still waiting for the draw.
Man City are coming off a tough 2-1 away win over Leyton Orient in the FA Cup 24/25. The Citizens were down by a goal until the 55th minute, as Abdukodir Khusanov equalized for the team before Kevin de Bruyne scored the winner in the last minutes. Man City rested most of their regular starters in that game, so they will be fresh and ready for Real M.
Man City don’t have any new injuries, but Rodri, Nathan Ake, and Jeremy Doku are all still out with long-term injuries.
Real Madrid are currently sitting on top of the Spanish La Liga standings. Los Blancos beat Leganes in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, and they already lost the Supercopa final to Barcelona last month.
Real Madrid are coming off a 1-1 home draw with Atletico Madrid in La Liga. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal for Real Madrid in that game, which was the first goal for the French striker in the Madrid Derby. The Champions League 2025 betting odds have Madrid as the 4th favorites to win the title, while Man City aren’t too far away in 6th place on the odds list.
Real Madrid will be without Daniel Carvajal, David Alaba, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, and Lucas Vazquez, while the rest of the squad is healthy and ready to go.
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Manchester City’s struggles continued, with them barely beating a mid-table League One team, and they were hammered by five goals from Arsenal before that. Real Madrid have been very solid in 2025, having lost only two of 12 games played this year. Los Blancos knocked out the Citizens twice in the last three years, so they know how to play against them in knockout matches.
The odds to bet on Real Madrid online are really enticing in this game. Man City lost 11 of their last 23 games and won only eight, so Los Blancos should have a good chance of getting at least a push with a draw here.
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There are always goal feasts in the Man City vs Real Madrid games, as they are averaging 3.5 goals per game in their last eight head-to-head matches. The Citizens have had at least three goals in nine consecutive games, and they are averaging 4.8 goals per game in their last 10 matches in all competitions. Two starting defenders for Real will be absent with injuries as well, so this will most likely be an attacking game from both sides.
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Rodrygo had a very good record against the Citizens, having scored four goals and having one assist in seven games against Man City. The Brazilian winger scored in back-to-back games in the Man City net, so he should be motivated to score and keep the streak going. Man City’s defense couldn’t keep a single clean sheet in the last five games, and they will most definitely concede a goal or two against Madrid, so Rodrygo will have his chances to contribute.
Los Blancos are in much better form than the Citizens going into this game, and we will go with them to get a positive result. Make sure you use our 2025 Man City vs Real Madrid betting predictions and bet them at the best bookmakers in Europe to have more fun watching the game.
