How Real Madrid vs. Manchester City: UEFA Champions League live online, TV, prediction and odds to watch

Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again on Tuesday in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final, with the 14-time winners facing the current defending champions. Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Carlo Ancelotti’s men 5-1 over two legs last year, with the Premier League side dealing a thrashing at the Etihad Stadium after a tight affair in the Spanish capital.

Real are in better form this time around and are currently eight points clear in La Liga, although they exited the Copa del Rey while City were also knocked out of the EFL Cup, so both sides have suffered setbacks. This marks a thirteen-game unbeaten streak for Los Blancos, while City’s last defeat came against Aston Villa in the Premier League in December, so both are in formidable form.

The last team to eliminate Real in the quarter-finals was AS Monaco in 2003–04, when Fernando Morientes came back to haunt his parent club as Les Monegasques advanced on away goals after finishing 5–5 on aggregate. Nine days without a match will also have refreshed Ancelotti’s troops, as will the boost as Eder Militao has slowly returned to fitness after being injured for most of the season. 26 games unbeaten at home is a tough task for City.

The current UCL champions passed FC Copenhagen in the round of 16 and are on a run of three goals in their eight Champions League games so far this edition. Their 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu last year was the last time they did not win at all in this competition and it is now the second longest unbeaten run in UCL history for Guardiola’s men at 21 games. But the last team to beat them? Real 3-1 in 2022, so prepare for the next chapter in this battle between the Champions League’s two most successful managers in terms of wins.

How to watch and odds

• Date: Tuesday April 9 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
• Place: Santiago Bernabeu-Madrid, Spain
• Watch: Biggest+
• Chances: Real +188; Sign +250; City +138

Team news

Real: Eder Militao is being relaxed again, so Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba are the biggest long-term losses. Dani Ceballos is also recovering, so he is also unlikely to start, as is the case with Militao. However, Vinicius Junior is back from suspension, so expect ex-City man Brahim Diaz to drop out of the XI.

Potential real XI: Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Vinicius Jr., Rodrygo.

City: Josko Gvardiol was knocked out so is doubtful, while Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake are also expected to miss despite possible late fitness tests. Gvardiol’s status could determine whether Manuel Akanji is needed at left-back, as he played there against Crystal Palace, while Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden should be recalled to the XI.

Potential city XI: Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne; Doku, Haaland, Foden.

Prediction

This promises to be tight and there could be a winner in this first leg, as last year’s opener showed us. Expect both teams to score, but perhaps end it on a level that would set up the second leg perfectly for the neutral side. Choose: Real 1, City 1.