Gary Lineker has shared his thoughts on who will get through to the semi-finals of the Champions League out of Manchester City and Real Madrid.
On Tuesday evening, the Blues took on Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the Santiago Bernabeu in their first-leg quarter-final tie.
Having walked away with a 3-3 draw without having Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake and Ederson in the team, the Manchester club have the chance to secure their place in the semi-finals if they beat Real at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
Looking ahead to this crucial showdown between the two European juggernauts, one pundit and former England international has shared his verdict on how he thinks this game will go.
Lineker drops verdict on Man City vs Real Madrid
Speaking in a recent edition of The Rest Is Football, Lineker had this to say after picking City to go through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
He said: “Man City are Man City, I think they are the best team in the world at the moment. Genuinely over a period of time.”
Will Man City beat Real Madrid?
Looking back over the first-leg tie, Pep Guardiola’s side had more possession than the Spanish team (62% vs 38%) and had more shots on target (6 vs 5) than their opponents.
They also earned themselves a higher overall team rating than Ancelotti’s team (6.95/10 vs 6.76/10) according to SofaScore.
With that in mind and the fact that they have the home advantage and a record of beating Real at the Etihad, it’s easy to see why Lineker thinks City will come out of next week’s second-leg tie victorious.
Despite all of that, this will still be a very tough game for the Blues, who, we feel, will need to be at their best if they want to beat the Spanish club and take a step closer to potentially regaining their Champions League title.