Manuel Pellegrini is hoping that he has one last parting shot in him before he departs Manchester City. If he could pull off the coup of leading the Citizens into the Bernabeu and coming out as victors, he'd not only go into lore in Manchester as the first manager to lead this team to the UCL Final, but he'd set himself up to take a massive job in all likelihood next year after Pep Guardiola replaces him at the Ethiad.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Real Madrid -170
Manchester City +485
Draw +315
Over/Under 2.5 (over -130)
ODDS ANALYSIS
These two teams were deadlocked without a goal over the course of the first 90 minutes of play in the UCL semifinals, and no one expects this match to be anything like it. Real Madrid tends to play wide open soccer, and though it didn't have to at the Ethiad, especially without Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup, it will have to try a little harder to find the back of the net at the Bernabeu.
Los Galacticos are favored at -170 to win this match outright, a result which would put it in the San Siro for the finale. Manchester City needs a score draw or a win to reach the Champions League Final.
The total of this duel is set at 2.5 with -130 vig on the over.
THE FIRST LEG
There aren't any goals to talk about from this first leg, but there was plenty of note. Joe Hart was clearly the man of the match after surviving the onslaught which came from Los Galacticos at the tail end of the fixture. Had he cracked even once, this 180-minute duel would probably be said and done with. Not only would Real Madrid have had a crucial away goal, but it would also have the straight up advantage as well. The chances of Man City winning this match would be slim.
Neither team had a shot on goal for the first 45 minutes, and that's the way Man City is going to have to play this match as well if it wants to come out of the Bernabeu with arguably the biggest win in the history of the club.
Still, Sergio Aguero has to come involved offensively. He was really nowhere to be found for the majority of the match, and he'll be crucial in this affair.
LIVE BETTING
The real question which is still holding over this match is whether Cristiano Ronaldo is going to play. The Portuguese superstar has been out for a few weeks with problems to his thigh and hamstring, and he's been warned that it could really hamper him in the future if he plays in this match. With a prospective UCL Final coming up in a few weeks and Euro 2016 just behind that, we aren't sure that it would be wise for Zinedine Zidane to risk his best player.
QUICK PICK
Manchester City has really played its heart out in the Champions League. The team showed the grit it needed to in order to beat PSG in the quarterfinals, and it really did the job in the opening 90 minutes as well against Real Madrid.
We can really see a situation in which Los Galacticos are frustrated once again by Manchester City.
We're going to recommend taking Manchester City on the goal-line in this one. Getting a full goal is a huge margin in a matchup which has been so darn close, and if Hart continues in his fine form, we can't see him conceding twice.
Still, we'd bet on Real Madrid ultimately advancing in extra time. Eventually, all of the pressure is going to tell on the Manchester City net, and all it takes is one moment of brilliance from Pepe or Gareth Bale or James Rodriguez or any of the other great men in white to spark the celebration which accompanies a bid in the Champions League Final.
Champions League Odds: Real Madrid 1, Manchester City 0 (AET)
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