18th Sep 2012 | Football
Real Madrid v Man City Tip
The La Liga champions tend to fly out of the blocks in this competition. They won every CL home match last season after leading at the break each time.
Jose Mourinho has laid down the gauntlet for his sluggish Real Madrid side and Manchester City may be on the end of the backlash on Tuesday.
The La Liga champions have made a stuttering start to the new campaign with defeats at Getafe and Sevilla, the latter as recently as Saturday. Mourinho responded to the latest setback by attacking his players.
“I am worried that in this moment I don’t have a team. There are very few heads who are committed and concentrated,” he added.
The stinging criticism should get a response as the Champions League season gets underway. Madrid are a best price 7/4 (Bluesquare) to lead at half-time and full-time at the Bernabeu, something they did in every CL home match in 2011-12.
City haven’t reached top gear themselves yet but their lack of European know-how is the main concern. Mancini’s boys exited in the group stages last term after defeats at Bayern Munich and Napoli took their toll.
A trip to Real looks to be coming just a bit too soon even if we assume the Blues will be better this time round on the continent. Madrid won their home fixtures 3-0, 4-0, 6-2, 4-1, 5-2 and 2-1 last season before exiting on penalties in the semi-finals.
Anything close to that level on Tuesday will make our bet look very competitive at decent odds.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 01:01 18th Sep, 2012 but subject to change
