Champions League preview: Man City vs Sporting, Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain
City won the first leg comfortably – is there any way back for Sporting Lisbon? Meanwhile, Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-German sees the Spanish side needing to overcome a one-goal deficit.
Man City vs Sporting Lisbon
Fresh from prompting Manchester United’s latest moment of crisis with a 4-1 victory on Sunday, now City fulfil the contractual obligation of a Champions League tie against a team they beat 5-0 in the first leg.
With the job already effectively done for Pep Guardiola’s side, who knows who will turn out for City on Wednesday night. Even if the coach rotates his squad significantly, City have enough players to ensure his side have plenty of firepower.
Will the hosts put on another formidable display? Or, with nothing to prove, will Pep’s side be happy to settle for an unshowy result? And how about the visitors? The jig is obviously already up for the Portuguese side. But will they attempt to make a fight of it anyway, or concentrate on keeping the score down?
Even leaving aside what’s clearly a disparity in terms of ability between these two sides, City have a daunting record playing at home in the Champions League. They’ve won each of their last 10 played at the Etihad, and it’s practically a foregone conclusion that this will be another victory for the Citizens.
It’s tough to say whether this will be a comparatively damp squib or a banquet of footballing excess, then. But perhaps Gabriel Jesus can prove reliable for City. The Brazilian forward has scored in each of his five previous appearances in the round of 16, and may start here. Jesus is 29/20 to score at any time.
Alternatively, maybe the Total Shots market is worth a look. In two of their three Champions League games at home this season, in each game City have had eight shots on target. They also produced six shots on target against Paris Saint-Germain. You can get evens on City to have over 6.5 shots on target here.
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were criticised for a lack of ambition in the first leg of this tie. Real failed to produce a single shot on target at the Parc des Princes.
For all that, Real’s anti-football approach almost paid off. Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty, with the hosts unable to score until the very end, when Kylian Mbappe’s fine strike gave Paris Saint Germain the advantage.
That’s the good news for the visitors. Less happily, Mbappe suffered a knock in training, and is a doubt for this match.
So will Real opt for a more positive approach at the Bernabeu on Wednesday? Since the defeat in Paris, Real have won their last three league games, conceding one goal in that run; the Madrid side are currently eight points clear at the top of La Liga, too.
Likewise, PSG are running away with Ligue 1, and are currently 13 points clear of nearest challengers Nice. But not everything’s going Mauricio Pochettino’s way, his team having lost two of their last three league outings.
Karim Benzema has scored for Real in each of his last three appearances and Karim the dream is 23/5 to open the scoring here. Real Madrid are 2/1 to go through on the night, which hardly seems unthinkable. Especially when you recall that PSG are yet to win on the road in Europe this season.
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