AC Milan vs. Real Madrid: CL Betting Preview

Real Madrid’s clash with AC Milan in the Spanish capital a fortnight ago was the pick of the Matchday 3 fixtures and the return at the San Siro promises to be every bit as enthralling on Tuesday.

A double from Alexandre Pato helped give the Serie A outfit a surprise 3-2 win against a Real side without Cristiano Ronaldo but the home team on that night dominated for much of the first hour and they still appear a cut above Leonardo’s men to me.

Ronaldo, who has started his career at the Bernabeu magnificently, will once again be a big loss for Real but they’ve more than enough quality to cope without the Portuguese star and this could well be the night when Kaka, who earned legendary status in Milan, announces himself as a Real great.

Kaka was sublime for much of the game between these two in late October and he’ll be keen to prove the point once again in front of his former fans. Real bounced back from a mini slump with victory over Getafe on the weekend in La Liga and they are worth chancing in Northern Italy.

Gonzalo Higuain scored both in the 2-0 win over their local rivals on Saturday and he is tipped to lead the line again with Raul in Ronaldo’s continued absence. Alessandro Nesta is likely to miss the tie through injury in the heart of the Milan defence and the Argentine striker is a class act who’ll fancy his chances of reeking havoc once more.

Despite conceding five goals in their opening three Group C Champions League matches Real have looked fairly competent at the back and their defensive record domestically is impressive. They’ve shipped just two on their travels in the top flight and it has been individual mistakes which have cost Pellegrini’s men in Europe’s premier club competition.

The normally dependable Iker Casillas was at fault for two of Milan’s strikes in the reverse fixture but if the visitors can reduce the errors to a minimum then they could just sneak three points. Milan have looked ordinary to me this season, their squad isn’t getting any younger, and Kaka is tipped to call the tune.

While siding with Madrid initially looked like the wager to be had I really like the look of them at 1.95 with William Hill in the draw no bet market. That safety net could prove important if the game is meandering to a stalemate, a point would suit both, but that scenario looks unlikely given the array of attacking talent on display and it should be one to savour again.

2pts Back Real Madrid (Draw No Bet, vs. AC Milan) @ 1.95 (William Hill )