"I'm expecting a tactical masterclass" - Rio Ferdinand names his favourites for UCL S/F tie between Real Madrid and Manchester City

Football pundit Rio Ferdinand has named Manchester City as the favorites to win the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Real Madrid tonight (May 17).

The Cityzens held the reigning champions to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. Kevin De Bruyne canceled out Vinicius Junior's first-half opener with a crucial equalizer in the 67th minute.

It left the tie in the balance as City and Madrid have all to play for at the Etihad tonight to see who joins Inter Milan in the Istanbul showpiece on June 10.

Ferdinand, who won the competition with Manchester United in 2008, was discussing the game on BT Sport and backed City to prevail over Carlo Ancelotti's men.

He said (via Manchester Evening News):

"I'm expecting a tactical masterclass. I don't know who is going to give us the best version of themselves, but the way that these two teams went at it last time from a tactical perspective was so intriuging to see the two teams different in a lot of things they do, but the end product from both teams is always there to see."

"You've got killers, individual killers on the Real Madrid team, and you've got a team that just functions so well when playing well and a well-oiled machine in Manchester City that just get things done. They're the favourites going into every single game they play and I have them as favourites at the Etihad."

While Real Madrid are looking to win back-to-back Champions League titles yet again, Manchester City have a historic treble in sight.

Pep Guardiola's men have almost secured the Premier League and are one win away from clinching their fifth title in six seasons. They will also take on cross-town rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final next month.

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Real Madrid have never won away to Manchester City

Besides everything that Rio Ferdinand said above, another good reason to count Manchester City as favorites tonight is their unbeaten record at home against Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants are winless in their four visits to the Etihad. Their first two visits ended in draws (1-1 in November 2012 and 0-0 in April 2016), before losing on their next two visits (2-1 in August 2020 and 4-3 in April 2022).

If Los Blancos are to reach the final, they must do something they have never done before and beat City in their own backyard.