Real Madrid Optimistic for The Second Leg Against Man City
The Spanish press reports that Real Madrid is living in a moment of optimism after the first leg. The internal impressions at Valdebebas is clear: Manchester City did not demonstrate to be superior to Los Blancos last Tuesday in Madrid.
Does The Pitch Corroborate These Impressions?
As discussed here at La Liga Analysis, the game could go either way. Both teams had strong factors that seemed to be balanced when the teams faced each other. Real Madrid is always a protagonist in the Champions League, while Manchester City has arguably the best team in the world. Arguably.
Ancelotti’s Real Madrid seems to be able to fight against different types of opponents, like the attack-oriented local rivals Barcelona, which shares similarities with Guardiola’s Man City.
Real Madrid knows how to pressure and how to focus on counter-attacks, and this versatility can be a deadly weapon in their pursuit of the fifteenth UCL trophy.
Man City doesn’t feel comfortable when forced to defend, but the second leg will be played at home which should encourage the English side to attack a lot from the first minute of the second leg.
When comparing the stats of each club at the domestic level, we can say it’s not easy to transport any lesson or impression to what happens at the UCL level. Everyone expected a deadly Haaland at Santiago Bernabeu last Tuesday, but what we witnessed was one of the best performances of Rüdiger’s career as the primary market, with Alaba supporting him wonderfully.
It’s fair to say the team that reaches the final will be the favourite to lift the 2022/23 UCL trophy.
But what will decide the second leg and the play off? One deadly mistake, or a moment of prime quality like both goals that happened in Madrid. Beating Courtois and Ederson with a shot outside the box is a hard task, but Vini Jr. and De Bruyne scored memorable goals.
We can expect another chapter of the history of the Champions League to be written in the coming week. This first leg was expected to be the best game of 2022 so far, and in my opinion, at least in the UCL, it certainly was.
Betting Markets Predictions: Man City v Real Madrid
The betting community expects another game of immense quality. Bookies across the globe launched odds considering the details of the first leg, with Champions League betting Canada options just released a few hours ago.
In spite of Man City being incredibly strong when attacking, the first game showed how these teams can be keen with the man marking in a game like this. Any over/under betting lines with odds paying profits of 100% ish shouldn’t have lines above 2.5.
Exact score markets are always tricky, but a levelled game with a draw like 0-0 and 1-1 seem like strong possibilities.
Live Betting is probably the safest choice for this fixture as the first minutes can deliver important intel to maximize the chances of making a profit.