Man City 1.69 v Sevilla 5.60; The Draw 4.30
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on BT Sport 2
Man City
There was a lot of "here we go again" sentiment after Manchester City lost their Group D opener at home to Juventus, but a 2-1 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach invites more positive reflection on their recent Champions League escapades.
They have cleared their group in successive campaigns, being eliminated by the mighty Barcelona both times, and have won three of their last four fixtures at this stage - all against Bundesliga or Serie A giants - only dropping points to the team narrowly beaten in the final four months ago.
It may take just two wins from their remaining four games to complete a hat-trick of round-of-16 appearances under Manuel Pellegrini, though to claim the first against Sevilla, they must brush off injuries to Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Fabian Delph, David Silva and Sergio Aguero. Samir Nasri is also a doubt.
Sevilla
Perhaps deterred by the fate of Juande Ramos, who left Sevilla shortly after his second UEFA Cup triumph yet lasted a mere year at Tottenham, Unai Emery resisted interest from the Premier League and Serie A to extend his Rojiblancos contract following Europa League success number two.
However, his loyalty has been unrewarded thus far, with a return of nine points from eight La Liga outings leaving them in 13th, nine points off the top despite Barcelona and Real Madrid's laboured starts compared to five off the bottom.
It is getting better though, with seven of those points earned in the latest three matches as opposed to two in the initial four, while their 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in week one keeps them level with Man City regardless of the comedown 2-0 defeat away to Juventus which came next.
Match Odds
Man City at odds-on in Europe is always going to be a tough sell because of their underwhelming record in the Champions League, which extends to one victory and four losses in six at the Etihad Stadium. Throughout their five participations, they have mustered only five wins in 15 as hosts.
Yet they shouldn't be defeated. Four of their five home reverses in the competition were inflicted by Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus, whereas Sevilla have travelled five times this season without prevailing and have collected one point from their past four Champions League trips abroad.
Both Teams to Score
Combining both teams to score with the Man City win has been a sound punting strategy lately in the Premier League, and the former part of that plan at the very least should prove ripe for further profit in this clash.
The Citizens' previous five Champions League contests in England have all been utterly clean sheet-less, as have each of their last ten in the group stage. They have gone a dozen encounters without a shutout as Champions League hosts, leaking twice or more in eight of the most recent nine, but have never fired an Etihad blank in this round.
Both teams to score is therefore a must at 1.70. If you want to back something at odds-against and trust Pellegrini's men to prosper, combine it with that outcome at around 3.10. If you aren't so confident of them pocketing three points, consider over 3.5 goals instead at 2.60.
Recommended Bet:
Back both teams to score @ 1.70
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on BT Sport 2
Man City
There was a lot of "here we go again" sentiment after Manchester City lost their Group D opener at home to Juventus, but a 2-1 victory at Borussia Monchengladbach invites more positive reflection on their recent Champions League escapades.
They have cleared their group in successive campaigns, being eliminated by the mighty Barcelona both times, and have won three of their last four fixtures at this stage - all against Bundesliga or Serie A giants - only dropping points to the team narrowly beaten in the final four months ago.
It may take just two wins from their remaining four games to complete a hat-trick of round-of-16 appearances under Manuel Pellegrini, though to claim the first against Sevilla, they must brush off injuries to Aleksandar Kolarov, Gael Clichy, Fabian Delph, David Silva and Sergio Aguero. Samir Nasri is also a doubt.
Sevilla
Perhaps deterred by the fate of Juande Ramos, who left Sevilla shortly after his second UEFA Cup triumph yet lasted a mere year at Tottenham, Unai Emery resisted interest from the Premier League and Serie A to extend his Rojiblancos contract following Europa League success number two.
However, his loyalty has been unrewarded thus far, with a return of nine points from eight La Liga outings leaving them in 13th, nine points off the top despite Barcelona and Real Madrid's laboured starts compared to five off the bottom.
It is getting better though, with seven of those points earned in the latest three matches as opposed to two in the initial four, while their 3-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach in week one keeps them level with Man City regardless of the comedown 2-0 defeat away to Juventus which came next.
Match Odds
Man City at odds-on in Europe is always going to be a tough sell because of their underwhelming record in the Champions League, which extends to one victory and four losses in six at the Etihad Stadium. Throughout their five participations, they have mustered only five wins in 15 as hosts.
Yet they shouldn't be defeated. Four of their five home reverses in the competition were inflicted by Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus, whereas Sevilla have travelled five times this season without prevailing and have collected one point from their past four Champions League trips abroad.
Both Teams to Score
Combining both teams to score with the Man City win has been a sound punting strategy lately in the Premier League, and the former part of that plan at the very least should prove ripe for further profit in this clash.
The Citizens' previous five Champions League contests in England have all been utterly clean sheet-less, as have each of their last ten in the group stage. They have gone a dozen encounters without a shutout as Champions League hosts, leaking twice or more in eight of the most recent nine, but have never fired an Etihad blank in this round.
Both teams to score is therefore a must at 1.70. If you want to back something at odds-against and trust Pellegrini's men to prosper, combine it with that outcome at around 3.10. If you aren't so confident of them pocketing three points, consider over 3.5 goals instead at 2.60.
Recommended Bet:
Back both teams to score @ 1.70
