Real Madrid - Manchester City: Champions League quarter-finals favourite and result predictions

The two heavyweights are set to battle it out in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.

The Champions League is back and Real Madrid host Manchester City at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (9 April KO 3pm ET / noon PT). In a repeat of last year’s semi-final, arguably Europe’s two best teams clash in the final eight this time round.

Ahead of the game, fans in Madrid who had travelled from Manchester were in high spirits that they could come away with at least a draw, exactly what happened in the previous edition. Then, they finished the away leg 1-1 before smashing Los Blancos 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Madrid will be looking to banish the ghosts that have been haunting them ever since.

Who is the favourite to win out of Manchester City and Real Madrid?

As we can see from the fans interviewed by AS USA ahead of kick-off in the Spanish capital, many believed that a decent result in the first game would be crucial if City want to build on things at home when the second leg comes around.

Given the home advantage, one can see why Real Madrid just are so close to City in terms of the odds to win the game. However, the treble winners are slightly ahead, if only by a small margin. They are yet to be truly tested in Europe’s elite competition, having only played against Leipzig, Young Boys, Red Star Belgrade and Copenhagen, and they are 3 points off top spot in the Premier League race.

Further to asking the travelling Cityzens about their predictions, AS USA also quizzed them on Madrid’s biggest threats, Haaland’s underperformance and Kyle Walker’s absence from the game.

Both teams come into the game with significant defensive question marks surrounding their players: along with Kyle Walker in the physio room, City are also without Nathan Aké, who has become a stalwart in the centre of defence. Madrid, meanwhile, are questioning whether or not ot go with Tchoumaéni or Nacho in the backline given Éder Militão’s long-term injury that has seen him miss most of the season.

The game between Real Madrid and Manchester City will be played on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET/ noon PT. You can follow the action live on AS USA ahead of kick-off.