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Former Liverpool forward Michael Owen has predicted a comfortable 3-1 victory for Manchester City over Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal.
Owen believes that Manchester City will be a tougher opposition to face for Real Madrid compared to Chelsea in the quarterfinals. The La Liga giants, however, have a great history in the Champions League and have got the experience to negotiate tough matches.
Despite this, the former player turned pundit predicts City will stamp their authority in the home leg.
Writing in his column for BetVictor, Michael Owen said:
"What a tie this should be! City were impressive at the weekend, and they’ll enter this with some confidence. We all know how desperate City are to win the Champions League, I’m expecting a good performance."
He added:
"Real have done so well to get to this round, but I’m not entirely sure how they’ve done it. Chelsea had plenty of chances to knock them out in the quarters, I don’t think City will be as wasteful."
Owen concluded:
"I’ll never write off Real in this competition, but I have to favour City. City will keep the ball and I can see them frustrating this Real side. I think Real will score, but I’m going for a 3-1 City win."
Real Madrid needed extra time in the second leg to get past Chelsea in the quarterfinals despite winning the first leg 3-1. However, Carlo Ancelotti's side have an in-form Karim Benzema at their disposal. The French forward has scored 12 goals in nine Champions League appearances this term, including hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are looking to reach their second consecutive Champions League final this season. They secured a narrow 1-0 aggregate win over Atletico Madrid in their quarterfinals.
It is worth mentioning that Manchester City and Real Madrid faced one another in the semifinals of the Champions League back in 2016. Los Blancos registered a 1-0 aggregate win on that occasion.
Manchester City or Real Madrid will face either Liverpool or Villarreal in the final
Manchester City or Real Madrid will either face Liverpool or Villarreal in the Champions League final in Paris next month. The Reds are favorites to make it through to the summit clash but will be wary as Villarreal have already caused two major upsets in this season's tournament.
Unai Emery's side first knocked out Juventus in the Round of 16 before beating German giants Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.
Both Real Madrid and Manchester City are looking to secure a league and Champions League double this season.
Los Blancos are currently atop the La Liga charts, 15 points clear of second-placed Barcelona with five games remaining. City, on the other hand, are involved in a closely-contested title race with Liverpool. Pep Guardiola's side are just one point ahead of the Reds at the moment with five matches to play.
