Manchester City cannot afford another slip-up when they face Club Brugge at the City of Manchester Stadium on Matchday 8 of the UEFA Champions League league phase.
Contents |
Prediction | BetSie Supercomputer % | Odds | Odds % |
Manchester City to win | 80% | 84.6% | |
Manchester City to win 3-1 | N/A | 10% |
Manchester City have kept only four clean sheets in their last 20 games
Club Brugge have suffered just one defeat in their last 25 matches in all competitions
Manchester City have scored 49 goals in their last 15 UEFA Champions League home matches
Tip | Current Odds |
Manchester City to win and both teams to score | |
Phil Foden to be first goalscorer | |
Christos Tzolis to have over 1.5 shots |
Manchester City to win and both teams to score - 8/5
Premier League champions Manchester City were ante-post favourites for the UEFA Champions League, but they kick off the final round of league phase fixtures down in 25th place in the table.
A slip-up at home against Club Brugge on Matchday 8 would mean an extraordinary early exit for Pep Guardiola's, side but they have the attacking firepower to seal their place in the play-off round.
City need a win to make sure of progress to the knockout stages, while Brugge require a point to guarantee that they finish in the top 24.
The Belgians arrive in Manchester in good spirits, having lost only one of their last 25 matches in all competitions.
That was a 3-1 reverse against AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League, when they matched Milan's tally of five shots on target despite having midfielder Raphael Onyedika sent off in the 40th minute.
Nicky Hayen's side have been competitive in all seven games in the competition and their highlights include home wins over Aston Villa and Sporting and a 0-0 draw with Juventus.
They won the shots battle 18-17 in their 3-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 1 and are capable of getting on the scoresheet in a losing cause against the Citizens.
The English champions have struggled defensively in the UEFA Champions League, losing 4-1 to Sporting, 2-0 to Juve and letting slip a 2-0 lead to go down 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain last time out.
The Citizens' most recent home fixture in the UEFA Champions League was a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord, who trailed 3-0 until the 74th minute, while they fell behind in the third minute of last Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea.
City responded well to that setback, recovering to beat the Blues 3-1, so backing a home win featuring goals at both ends looks the best bet at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Phil Foden to be first goalscorer - 11/2
City's struggles in the first half of the season were epitomised by Phil Foden's poor form, but the England international has looked back to his best in recent weeks.
Foden had to wait until 21st December to score his first Premier League goal of the campaign in the defeat at Aston Villa and he has started 2025 in fine style.
He has found the net six times in his last four league appearances, opening the scoring in the 2-2 draw at Brentford and the 6-0 win at Ipswich, and looks a tempting first-goalscorer bet on Wednesday.
The City star scored in three of his first four UEFA Champions League starts this term, against Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague and Sporting, and had four shots in 45 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Italian champions Inter on Matchday 1.
Christos Tzolis to have over 1.5 shots - 1/1
Brugge winger Christos Tzolis caught the eye in Greece's Nations League campaign, having two or more shots in four of his five games against Republic of Ireland, England and Finland in the autumn.
The former Norwich man is having an impressive season at club level, too, with seven goals and five assists in 20 starts in the Belgian top-flight.
Tzolis is averaging 3.2 shots per game in the league and 2.3 efforts per 90 minutes in the UEFA Champions League.
He has featured in all seven of Club Brugge's matches in Europe, scoring the winner against Sturm Graz and racking up four shots in 76 minutes against Villa, so he could pose a threat to an inconsistent home defence.
Manchester City win | 80% |
Draw | 13.6% |
Club Brugge win | 6.4% |
The odds suggest that Manchester City have a 84.6% chance of beating Club Brugge on Wednesday night, while the BetSie Supercomputer believes there is a 80% chance of that happening.
The BetSie Supercomputer believes that Club Brugge have a 6.4% chance of winning their upcoming game against Manchester City.
A 3-1 victory for Manchester City has a 10% chance of happening according to the betting odds.
Formation: 4-1-4-1
Team: Ederson; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic; Savinho, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish; Haaland.
Formation: 4-3-3
Team: Mignolet; Seys, Ordonez, Mechele, De Cuyper; Onyedika, Jashari, Vanaken; Talibi, Jutgla, Tzolis.
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