Manchester City vs. Real Madrid prediction: Expert's picks for second leg of Champions League tie
SportsLine soccer expert Jon Eimer makes his best bets for the second leg of Manchester City and Real Madrid's Round of 16 tie
Manchester City faces a titanic task when it welcomes Real Madrid to Etihad Stadium on Tuesday for the second leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie. The Citizens were routed 3-0 in Spain in the first leg last week, and must now overcome that three-goal deficit if they wish to advance further in the competition. With star striker Erling Haaland noticeably out of form and Man City reeling from this weekend's disappointing draw with lowly West Ham, Real Madrid will be a most unwelcome guest.
Kickoff from the Etihad is set for 4 p.m. ET. You can catch Real Madrid vs. Man City and all Champions League games live on Paramount+. Manchester City are -230 favorites (wager $230 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Real Madrid vs. Manchester City odds, while the visitors are +500 underdogs (wager $100 to win $500). A draw is priced at +450 and the total is 3.5 (Over +110, Under -140). The SportsLine Projection Model has the results for its latest simulations of Real Madrid vs. Man City and all Champions League matches here, but you should see what SportsLine soccer expert Jon Eimer is locking in for his best bets of the match.
Eimer finished 2023 as SportsLine's No. 1 soccer expert, posting a 248-234-12 record (+25.93 units) on SportsLine article picks. Eimer has been red-hot in 2025, posting a profit in multiple leagues, including the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga and more. Anyone following his soccer betting picks could have seen huge returns at sportsbooks and on betting apps.
Here are Eimer's best bets and analysis for Real Madrid vs. Manchester City on Wednesday, March 11.
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid best bets
- Real Madrid +1.5 (-130, BetMGM, 1u)
- Under 3.5 goals (-135, 1u)
A complicated second leg
It's always incredibly important to realize what's at stake when you look at a multi-leg fixture like the Round of 16 in Champions League. We have to remember that Real Madrid won the first leg 3-0, which means as long as they don't lose by more than three goals in this match, they will qualify. This means we should expect a tactical switch-up from Real Madrid. I don't expect them to press for goals, and I expect Los Blancos to play a very deep line and a very strong defense all match long. If this ends in a 2-0 Manchester City victory, it really means Real Madrid are victorious. Expect some rotation out of Real Madrid to prioritize defense, and expect City to come out swinging early knowing they need that early goal.
Manchester City's bizarre form
Manchester City are currently -250 favorites, which makes sense when you consider City is playing at home and Real Madrid doesn't need goals given they're up 3-0 on aggregate, but man I just don't have a lot of faith in the Citizens after watching the past few weeks of play. About two weeks ago, Manchester City were in talks for winning a treble. Now, they're not even playing well enough to take three points off West Ham. They got stomped out by Real Madrid last week, and drew 1-1 to the worst West Ham team we've seen in ages over the weekend in a title race match. This is still of course an incredible squad, but I'm not backing them to do anything right now as the team continues to spiral. I expect Real Madrid to find qualification when the final whistle blows.
