Man City will be looking to wrap up top spot in Group G when they welcome RB Leipzig to the Etihad on Tuesday evening.
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Although at first glance this appears to be nothing more than a dead rubber with both sides already assured of qualification for the Round of 16, City have been impeccable to date.
So far, they have notched up maximum points, and providing they don’t slump to defeat against Leipzig, they will go through to the knockout stages as group winners with a game to spare.
City warmed up for this clash with a 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool, but Pep Guardiola will hope to have Jack Grealish and John Stones available.
Leipzig, on the other hand, are reeling as they are coming off the back of a 2-1 reverse at the hands of Wolfsburg. It marked their third defeat in their past five outings in all competitions which is far from ideal preparation.
Nevertheless, they would love to upset the apple cart. To set the scene for this game, I have provided a detailed match preview and tagged a couple of betting tips for your perusal.
City slickers
Although City will have been despondent at dropping points at home to Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend, they have been immaculate in Europe this term.
In each of their four group games this term, they have netted three times, and with the quality oozing through the squad, creativity is hardly an issue.
Leipzig, on the other hand, have habitually come unstuck on trips to these shores, losing their last four matches in England by a total aggregate score of 20-3.
Indeed, they are looking for their first victory since they registered a 1-0 away to Tottenham in February 2020.
City, on the other hand, have an enviable record at the Etihad, and they should be going into this game full of confidence as they are undefeated in their past 17 Champions League clashes on home soil. Only Manchester United have a longer unbeaten home run in Europe’s elite competition as an English team — 25 matches between September 2007 and May 2009.
With top spot in touching distance, City should have too much for Leipzig. For my first pick, I have gone with City to win by two goals, which is available at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
Erling Haaland to run riot against
Erling Haaland may only be 23, but we are fast running out of superlatives to describe his clinical nature.
Last weekend, he became the fastest player to reach the 50-goal Premier League milestone (48 appearances), and in Europe, he has been an indomitable force too.
Currently, Haaland has netted 39 times in 34 Champions League outings, and he’s quickly closing in on another milestone.
Haaland will be raring to tear into Leipzig, and he has scored more goals against them than any other Bundesliga side in his club career, netting 11 times in seven appearances.
The Norwegian also became only the third player in Champions League history to score five times in City’s 7-0 demolition of Leipzig earlier this year, and he could well have another field day.
I fancy Haaland to collect a treble, and he’s trading at 8/1 with Unibet to pull that off.
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