AS dead rubber games go, Manchester City's final Champions League group stage match against Sevilla must be right up there.
The English champions have already won the group and cannot be caught by Borussia Dortmund who are three points behind them because of their superior head-to-head record.
Spanish side Sevilla will revert back to their favourite competition – the Europa League which they have won a record six times – after guaranteeing third spot because of a better head-to-head record against FC Copenhagen who sit three points behind them.
Sevilla at least have the motivation to impress new manager Jorge Sampaoli, with the Argentinian coach taking over three weeks ago following a poor campaign so far.
They currently sit in the relegation places in La Liga and to remain there would be unthinkable for a club of their size, but two wins out 12 league games tells its own story. A weekend loss to Rayo Vallecano summed up their season.
Perhaps crucially, they have their Seville derby against Real Betis coming up this weekend and you suspect their minds will be more on that.
City are motoring along nicely after a hard-fought win at Leicester City at the weekend and the pressure is well and truly off for this.
How the bookies view it
Manchester City were always going to be warm odds-on shots here and are trading at around 1/5 although there is a touch of 3/13 with SBK.
Sevilla can be backed at 14/1 with UniBet and the draw is 6/1 with Paddy Power.
Recent head to heads
City strolled to a 4-0 win in Spain in September and that illustrated the gulf in class between the teams.
Players to watch
City's teamsheet could make for interesting viewing, but Phil Foden could well get a start here having only come on for the final 13 minutes at the King Power on Saturday. He is 11/5 with bet365 to score.
Former Spurs star Erik Lamela will make a return to England on Wednesday and he has scored three goals this season for Sevilla. He is 7/1 with UniBet to net anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's not a game to be steaming into, given how little is at stake and line-ups could be crucial, but City really should win this at a canter…even without Erling Haaland, who is unlikely to be rushed back for this.
It doesn't really seem to matter what team Pep Guardiola puts out – they are too good for 95 per cent of the rest of Europe anyway and they can win by a few here.
With the pressure off, they could eaily repeat their four-goal haul in Spain. Paddy Power have them at 9/4 to score four goals or more, but that rises to 4/1 to win by four goals or more and that's worth a dabble.
The same firm's 8/5 on City to win minus two goals on the handicap also looks a cracking price. City don't do friendlies.
This UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City and Sevilla will be played on Nov 2, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Sevilla prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
