The UEFA Champions League is entering the home stretch as the final four clubs prepare to square off in the semifinal.
Defending champions Real Madrid will take on Erling Haaland and Manchester City, while AC Milan will take on Serie A rival Inter Milan.
The Champions League semifinals are loaded with heavyweight talent, so let’s look at Champions League picks and best bets.
UCL Match Odds
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Champions League Semifinal Predictions
Real Madrid vs Manchester City: Manchester City Advances
This is the year Pep Guardiola finally wins the Champions League.
To do so, they must avenge their 2022 loss to Real Madrid in the semifinal.
The Sky Blues are strong in every area of the pitch, capped off by their enormous advantage at the striker position in Haaland. In addition, their depth gives them multiple options at each position, making them difficult to exploit by the opposing team.
Jack Grealish could be the difference maker due to his work rate and decision-making. The credit for Man City’s success is typically showered on Pep, Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, and Rodri, but Grealish gives that little extra that puts everything over the top.
Real Madrid enter with more experience and the best game management left in the tournament, but City has a deep talent roster that has shown resilience. Showdowns between Luka Modric and De Bruyne, along with Antonio Rudiger vs Haaland, should be high-end entertainment.
I expect this to be a close tie that may come down to the performance of world-class goalkeeping (Thibaut Courtois and Ederson) and world-class center forwards (Karim Benzema and Haaland).
Manchester City have a slight edge due to their immense depth.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan: AC Milan Advances
When they defeated Napoli, AC Milan shocked the football world, and Rafael Leão is a massive reason why.
The Portuguese winger is fearless and can dominate a match with his pace and skill.
Another edge that AC Milan brings to the semifinal is goalkeeper Mike Maignan. After making eight saves in the quarterfinal, including a penalty, Maignan is in top form and ready to lead his team into the UCL final.
- Find our full breakdown of UCL Winner Odds.
Champions League Winner Pick
Manchester City (-150) | BetMGM Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
The winner of the Man City vs Real Madrid tie will be a massive favorite to win the Champions League final, and I give that edge to the Sky Blues.
However, from a value perspective, Real Madrid may be the better bet at +350 in a showdown that is a near toss-up.
