Manchester City will resume their Champions League campaign when they entertain Sparta Prague at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Inter Milan on matchday one but they bounced back with a 4-0 stroll to victory over Slovan Bratislava on matchday two.
City have since beaten both Fulham and Wolves in the Premier League to ensure that they continue to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool.
The 2023 European champions now turn their attention back to continental matters this midweek, where they will be expected to see off Sparta Prague with room to spare.
Having said that, the Czech outfit have made an encouraging start to their own campaign, having swept aside RB Salzburg 3-0 before battling to a 1-1 draw away at Stuttgart.
Lars Friis’ side head into this contest off the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Slovan Liberec in the Czech top-flight on Saturday.
How the bookies view it: A stroll for star-studded City
Unsurprisingly, Man City are overwhelming favourites here, with a home win trading at a lowly 1/16 on Betano.
Sparta Prague are a towering 28/1 on Betano to emerge from the Etihad victorious, while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 19/2 with the same firm.
Head to head: A first-ever meeting
Man City and Sparta Prague will cross paths on the continental circuit for the first time this midweek. City last came up against Czech opposition in this competition way back in 2013, beating Viktoria Plzen both home and away.
Players to watch: Foden to fire?
Phil Foden could come into the starting XI on Wednesday night, making him an appealing option to score at 29/20 with William Hill. The Man City ace made the net bulge in the aforementioned 4-0 success against Slovan Bratislava. Alternatively, Foden could be worth looking at for a goal or an assist once prices become available with the bookmakers.
Kaan Kairinen has scored in each of Sparta Prague’s two outings since reaching the league phase. The Finnish midfielder is a whopping 25/1 (Bet 365) to repeat the trick in Manchester.
Predicted line-ups
City supremo Guardiola could shuffle his pack on Wednesday night, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Nathan Ake and the aforementioned Phil Foden all in contention to start.
Sparta boss Friis could stick with the same set of players that earned his side a point away at Stuttgart earlier this month.
Man City: Ortega; Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Ake; Nunes, Kovacic; Savinho, Foden, Grealish; Haaland
Sparta Prague: Vindahl; Zeleny, Vitik, Panak; Preciado, Kairinen, Laci, Wiesner; Birmancevic, Olatunji, Haraslin
Anything else catch the eye?
With Man City simply unbackable at the above-mentioned odds, I’ll dip into the Bet Builder market with a view to obtaining a backable price.
Bundling up Man City half time/full time alongside Erling Haaland to score anytime will bring about a 4/5 shot on Bet 365.
This Bet Builder would have paid out during the Sky Blues’ 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava and the same combination looks worthy of interest on Wednesday night.
This UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City and Sparta Prague will be played on Oct 23, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Sparta Prague prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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