MANCHESTER CITY fired out a chilling Premier League warning at the weekend but the UEFA Champions League remains their holy grail and this season's quest continues when FC Copenhagen come calling on Matchday Three.
The odds on Pep Guardiola's side retaining their English title will have tumbled even further after Sunday's 6-3 derby demolition of Manchester United, a game where Kevin De Bruyne brought up another assist bet for me.
The Belgian is supplying the ammunition for Erling Haaland with the giant Norwegian scoring a third successive hat-trick at home in the Premier League.
It's scary to think how many goals Haaland will grab this season if he stays fit and Manchester City chiefs will be hoping he can finally help them rule Europe.
Their Champions League campaign started with an impressive 4-0 win at Sevilla but Guardiola's side were made to sweat at home to Dortmund before Haaland popped up with a late winner to seal a 2-1 victory.
Now it's FC Copenhagen's turn to visit the Etihad and the Danes got off the mark with a 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla on MatchDay Two after being crushed 3-0 in Dortmund on a great night for our man Gabriel.
Jacob Neestrup's side haven't started the season well and sit a lowly sixth in the Danish table after 11 games. They ended a four-game run without a victory by beating Aarhus 1-0 at the weekend but it wasn't a convincing display and they will have to up their game significantly to avoid a heavy defeat in Manchester.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Manchester City a best 1/14 with SBK while FC Copenhagen are as big as 47/1 with the same firm. Even the draw is huge at 17/1 with SportNation.
Head to head
These sides have met just once before in Europe after Manchester City edged a win in the UEFA Cup back in 2009. A 2-2 draw in Copenhagen was followed by a 2-1 win for City at the Etihad with Craig Bellamy hitting a double.
Players to watch
Haaland is a tiny 1/3 at SportingIndex for anytime scorer and you have to back him for two goals or more to find any value at 8/5 with the same firm. I'd expect Guardiola to make some changes so Riyad Mahrez might be the best man to back for a goal if he starts on the wing. The Algerian is 29/20 for a goal at Unibet who also price him at a tempting 6/5 for over 1.5 shots on target.
Winger Viktor Claesson has been Copenhagen's biggest threat this season, netting eight times in 17 appearances. He's their best bet for a goal in this one at 8/1 with Bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Copenhagen have failed to score in both their group games so far, a City win to nil looks likely here, although the odds aren't great at a best 4/6 with Paddy Power. Combining that with Manchester City winning both halves boosts you to 11/10 in a Bet365 bet builder.
Backing Copenhagen players for cards is another good option as Guardiola's side will attack their defence relentlessly. Both Manchester United full-backs were booked at the weekend so that might be the best route to go down here.
Victor Bernth Kristansen has collected four yellows already this term but I've yet to see a market for individual cards. Unibet are offering prices on team cards, though, and I like the look of the 6/4 they chalk up for over 2.5 Copenhagen cards.
This UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City and FC Copenhagen will be played on Oct 5, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs FC Copenhagen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.