Our betting expert expects the visitors to claim all the points. Phil Foden’s good run of form in front of goal is expected to continue.
Best bets for Real Madrid vs Manchester City
- Manchester City to win at odds of 2.50 on Stake
- Phil Foden to score anytime at odds of 2.80 on Stake
- Manchester City to score over 1.5 goals at odds of 1.85 on Stake
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction - Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City
- Goalscorers prediction - Real Madrid: Kylian Mbappe - Manchester City: Erling Haaland, Phil Foden
Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo in La Liga on Sunday. That result has added to the growing uncertainty over Xabi Alonso’s future at the club. With talk of a possible split in the squad, Los Blancos have won just two of their last seven competitive games.
The atmosphere at the Bernabeu is tense, and many punters are expecting further trouble, using a Stake Promo Code to back the visitors.
Manchester City have won three on the bounce heading into this clash, facing rivals competing for a top-eight finish. However, they did lose their last Champions League match 2-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen. After winning three of their opening five European fixtures, Pep Guardiola’s side are currently on 10 points.
Probable lineups for Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Real Madrid expected lineup: Courtois, Carreras, Asencio, Rudiger, Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler, Bellingham, Ceballos, Vinicius, Mbappe
Manchester City expected lineup: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly, Gonzalez, Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Doku, Haaland
City to pile the pressure on Alonso
Man City were impressive 3-0 winners at the weekend over Sunderland. While they’ve been heavily dependent on Erling Haaland for goals this term, more players are now starting to contribute.
Rayan Cherki stole the show on Saturday with two assists. Haaland has only scored one of the last 14 City goals in all competitions. That certainly bodes well as Guardiola aims to build another great team.
By contrast, Real Madrid are still heavily reliant on Kylian Mbappe for attacking inspiration. In their last four matches, the Frenchman has either scored or assisted all eight of Real Madrid’s goals.
Alonso came with dreams of constructing a brilliant team, but there is no clear playing style emerging. There are defensive flaws too, with at least 1.0 xG allowed in six of their last seven games.
Noting these consistent defensive lapses, the best betting sites are beginning to favor the English side to exploit those gaps. That suggests Man City offer value here, with no clear favourite for this clash.
- Real Madrid vs Manchester City Bet 1: Manchester City to win at odds of 2.50 on Stake
Foden’s streak to continue
With Haaland suffering a slight dip in form, bettors may want to look elsewhere in the anytime goalscorer market. Foden stands out in a game that will be billed as a showdown between two of the great strikers of this era.
Like many of his teammates, the English midfielder endured a difficult 2024/25 season. However, Foden seems to be back to his best now, with five goals in his last three appearances. He has scored nine times in 19 outings in all competitions for his club this term.
Foden averages 0.52 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League. That figure rises to 0.57 in Europe. He has also scored twice previously against Real Madrid, including a quarter-final strike at the Bernabeu in 2024.
Based on current form, Foden is good value to score anytime with an implied probability of 35.7%.
- Real Madrid vs Manchester City Bet 2: Phil Foden to score anytime at odds of 2.80 on Stake
Visitors to exploit fragile defence
Real Madrid’s defensive selection issues further suggest City could come out on top. The hosts suffered a huge setback on Sunday, with Eder Militao limping off against Celta Vigo. The Brazilian has been their most convincing centre-back this term, but he is now out until March.
Full-backs Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ferland Mendy are also out injured. David Alaba and Dean Huijsen are additional doubts heading into this fixture. That could leave the hosts without as many as six defenders on Thursday.
It was a similar scenario when they travelled to take on Olympiacos in their last Champions League match. They left too much space on that occasion and conceded three goals. However, four strikes from Mbappe still secured the win. Madrid also allowed 2.3 xG. They could have lost by more than 1-0 when they faced Liverpool earlier last month.
Man City have scored three or more goals in seven of their last nine matches in all competitions. They could be worth backing to score over 1.5 goals with an implied probability of 54.1%.
- Real Madrid vs Manchester City Bet 3: Man City to score over 1.5 goals at odds of 1.85 on Stake