Wednesday’s football tips: Go for first-half goals at 6/5 as City bid to pile on Real Madrid’s misery

Fahad Umar
December 9, 2025
3:17 pm

The UEFA Champions League keeps throwing up blockbuster fixtures and there’s a cracker tonight as Manchester City head to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid.

Xabi Alonso is coming under severe scrutiny after a dismal run that has seen Los Blancos win just two of their last seven games.

But if he can mastermind a win over City in Europe then it would ease some of the pressure on his shoulders heading into the festive season.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City top betting tips

Injuries in defence have played a big part in Real Madrid’s slump and they conceded three times in their last Champions League game away to Olympiacos.

Star man Kylian Mbappe scored four times that night to make up for their defensive shortcomings and you get the feeling tonight’s game could be another thriller.

City also haven’t looked convincing at the back this season, although they did keep a clean sheet at the weekend in the 3-0 win over Sunderland.

We should see goals at both ends tonight and combining BTTS and over 2.5 goals only pays 7/10 at Betway. Over 1.5 first-half goals offers more value at 6/5 with Betfred.

Interested in why both teams scoring is such a strong angle? Check out our Masterclass on BTTS and sharpen your match-reading game.

Kylian Mbappe has emerged as a late injury doubt for Real Madrid but Erling Haaland should start up top for City. The red-hot Norwegian is evens at Ladbrokes for over 1.5 efforts on target.

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Bayer Leverkusen vs Newcastle United

Newcastle probably need just one more win to book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League but won’t have it easy away to Bayer Leverkusen tonight.

The Germans have picked up excellent away wins against Benfica and Manchester United in their last two European games to recover from a poor start.

And they will fancy their chances against a Magpies side who threw away a 1-0 goal in their last Champions League game to lose away to Marseille.

This has the makings of a close game and the half-time draw appeals at 11/8 with SkyBet.

Magpies striker Nick Woltemade will be out to impress back on German soil and he’s a tempting 4/1 at Bet365 to have over 1.5 efforts on target.

Club Brugge vs Arsenal

Arsenal’s form has dipped in the last few weeks and Mikel Arteta will be desperate to bounce back with another Champions League win against Club Brugge tonight.

The Gunners have won all five of their fixtures so far and if they can bank three more points in Belgium it should secure direct entry to the last 16.

Arteta’s side were a mean machine earlier in the season but have kept just one clean sheet in their last six games after picking up some injuries in defence.

Brugge boast some exciting players in attack so there could be some value in backing BTTS tonight at a decent 10/11 with Bet365. Adding on over 2.5 goals boosts the odds to 5/4 at William Hill.

Christos Tzolis loves a strike from distance and the Brugge midfielder is a tempting 23/20 at BetVictor to have an effort on target tonight.