Champions League
2012-09-18 - Real Madrid vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Cruiser
Match Preview :
Manchester City faces an acid test as they take on nine time winners Real Madrid in their opening match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium tonight. Last season despite accumulating ten points they were eliminated but no doubt the Carlos Tevez's infamous row with manager Roberto Mancini overshadowing a campaign which saw the club fail to progress past the group stage.
But this season Mancini's men have a Premier League title under their belts and are likely to take on Europe with renewed confidence and a desire to add the Champions League into their cabinet. They will not have it easy as last month's group stage draw dealt the club the trickiest path to the knockout rounds of all the British clubs in the Champions League.
This Group is no doubt the Group of Death where City will have to come up against three other champions of their respective leagues, with Tuesday's Bernabeu clash throwing Mancini's men in at the deep end of a pool which also includes last term's Bundesliga winners Borussia Dortmund and Eredivisie champions Ajax. Last season, Manchester City failed to get through a group which had the likes of Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal and now questions are being asked if they have what it takes to compete with the best in Europe.
Manager Roberto Mancini set his sights high this week when he said that "If you drive a Ferrari you can win. We used to drive a Fiat or Cinquecento (at previous club Inter) and it is not so easy. But now we drive a Ferrari." Even Real boss Jose Mourinho, who, speaking ahead of Tuesday's encounter, admitted it is inevitable they will land the prize "sooner or later" when he said if it is not this year then maybe next year, referring to the achievements of his previous club Chelsea finally landing the Champions League trophy last season.
For Real Madrid, they started their domestic season poorly with just four points from their opening four games leaving them 12th in the early standings and prompting the Portuguese boss to question the commitment of some of his players. Now they will be banking on their experience in the Champions League as they are playing in this competition for the 16th consecutive season and the advantage of a home crowd will give them the edge as they take on English side Manchester City for the first time.
Team News :
Real Madrid Team News :
Mourinho has a fully-fit squad at his disposal for the encounter, with new-boys Michael Essien and Luka Modric both named in the side. The only absentee is young striker Alvaro Morata, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain in contention to start.
Despite Real suffering a 1-0 defeat by Sevilla at the weekend, Mourinho has said he does not intend to make major changes to his starting lineup.
Manchester City Team News :
City boss Mancini will be boosted by the news star striker Sergio Aguero could play some part after recovering from a knee injury. Midfielder Gareth Barry (abdominal) is also in contention after appearing for the first time this season as a substitute in the draw against Stoke last weekend. However, Right-back Micah Richards (ankle) remains sidelined while centre-back Kolo Toure has not been registered for the competition.
Predictions :
Take Manchester City and accept the 1 ball here.
The Pick :
Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester City
BEST BETTING TIP :
Go for the DRAW here.
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Manchester City and accept the 1 ball [Main Bet]
