Man City v Spurs Picks & Betting Preview

These all-English Champions League ties are just so, so tasty. Manchester City v Spurs is absolutely no different, and this second-leg at The Etihad has the potential to be immense – not least because City are without that all-important away goal.

All hope is not lost for City, of course. They’re clearly more than capable of turning Spurs over at home—particularly because the visitors have lost four Premier League away games in-a-row—and the firepower at Pep Guardiola’s disposal truly is frightening.

But Spurs were in a similar position to this just a few weeks ago, as they travelled to Dortmund with an (admittedly larger) first-leg lead. That evening, they weathered an almighty yellow storm—Hugo Lloris in particular putting in a stunning display (something Spurs will need desperately once again)—which is a pattern of play they’ll be expecting once again.

Pep’s team selection for the first-leg indicated his priority was the Premier League, but if you think he’ll gamble with his quadruple dream by playing a slightly weakened side again on Wednesday, you are seriously mistaken.

City will fly out of the blocks—like they did against Liverpool this time last year, as Gabriel Jesus’ second-minute goal gave the hosts hope of overturning that massive first-leg deficit—and I can see them laying an early blow on Spurs this time around.

In the Premier League alone, City have scored 18 goals in the first 15 minutes, and while Spurs bravely resisted Dortmund, I don’t believe they’ll be quite so fortunate on Wednesday. I’m backing City’s first goal to be scored within 15 minutes.

1u - 0-15 minutes [Time Of First Home Goal] @+250

As a +1,000 longshot—which I don’t think is particularly unlikely—I’m backing Manchester City to beat Spurs 3-1 after the 90 minutes.

I’m certainly not suggesting Spurs are doomed, but as much as I’d like to believe they have what it takes to navigate through this second-leg, I ultimately can’t see past City.

Even if Spurs score early, can you rule out the possibility of City scoring three? I certainly can’t.

City are capable of scoring three, Spurs are certainly capable of scoring one; only Crystal Palace and Chelsea have prevented Mauricio Pochettino’s men from scoring on the road in all competitions. +1,000 is a tempting price for this one.

1u - Man City 3-1 [Correct Score] @+1,000