Airdrie carry immense momentum into the first leg of their playoff final with Hamilton, which takes place on Wednesday.

The Diamonds smashed Falkirk in the previous round of the competition, running out 7-2 winners on aggregate after racing into a 5-0 lead by half-time in the opening match of that double header. They will not expect to be such emphatic winners over Hamilton on Wednesday, but their home form points to a positive outcome.

Airdrie have been simply explosive in front of goal in recent matches. They have scored 39 goals in their 12 fixtures since the start of March, despite the fact that several of these games had nothing riding on them. They were also able to manage their squad over the weekend, so energy levels should be high for this game.

Hamilton, meanwhile, ultimately eased past Alloa 5-2 at home, yet the outcome looked very different after 32 minutes as they trailed 3-0 on aggregate. A red card, though, changed the course of the tie totally.

Accies might have dodged a bullet in that encounter, but their away record is weak. Not only did they lose to Alloa, but they also failed to win a must-win match at Arbroath late in the season and suffered losses in their three previous league away games.

Airdrie, who will have close to a full-strength squad, are justifiable favourites against a team carrying several injury doubts that have not scored in any of its last five road matches.

The scoreline is level at 1-1 on aggregate after a hard-fought draw in Madrid last week, and that puts the home team, Manchester City, in pole position to get the job done at the Etihad. That would mean replicating the 4-3 win from last season’s battle between the teams in Manchester in what was the first leg of that tie.

Pep Guardiola’s team have improved since then and are currently enjoying a streak of 22 games without defeat, including 20 victories and only two draws, both in one leg of a two-legged Champions League tie. That makes them a daunting opponent for Real Madrid, who have won only two of their last six matches.

The Cityzens will be out to reach only their second-ever Champions League final, getting revenge over the team who have twice knocked them out at the semi-final stage. To do so, they may well rely on Erling Haaland, who was quiet in the first leg but still tested Thibaut Courtois with two shots on target.

In LaLiga, Real Madrid have been inconsistent. They are a different animal in Europe, but they have lost their last two away matches against Girona and Real Sociedad. Six of Real Madrid’s seven defeats this season in the league have come on the road, and going away for such a crucial fixture could be a concern.

That means that Manchester City should be confident of securing the victory, even within the initial 90 minutes. Their attacking force has seen them score in every match at the Etihad since March 2022, and if that continues to be the case, Real Madrid may struggle to outscore their English counterparts.