MANCHESTER CITY resume their quest for Champions League glory when they take on RB Leipzig in their round of 16 first leg tie at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night.
When Sheikh Mansour acquired Man City 15 years ago, the mission statement was to conquer the continent, however the Citizens have thus far fallen short in their pursuit of the holy grail.
Now armed with Erling Haaland, and after topping Group G, Man City are general 15/8 chances with most bookmakers to lift that elusive first Champions League trophy.
After playing out a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Pep Guardiola will demand an immediate response from his star-studded side in Saxony.
After opening Group F with back-to-back losses, RB Leipzig showed remarkable powers of recovery to win four games on the spin, punching their ticket to the last 16 in the process.
Last time out, Marco Rose’s men returned to winning ways in the Bundesliga with a well-deserved 3-0 win away at Wolfsburg.
Outright Betting
RB Leipzig came out on top when hosting Manchester City during last season’s group stage but the same outcome here is an unfancied 7/2 (Bet 365) while the draw can be backed at a best 14/5 (Bet 365).
Despite failing to win two of their three away matches in this year’s tournament to date, Man City arrive in Germany as odds-on 3/4 (William Hill) favourites
Betting Angles
I suspect this first leg could be closer than the odds suggest but I'm going to bypass the 1×2 market and instead side with Over 2.5 Goals at 4/5 (Bet 365).
While first leg knockout ties can have a tendency to be tight and cagey affairs, there is potential that this game could produce plenty of goals given that both sides carry plenty of attacking threat while neither defence has been reliable when it comes to being watertight this term.
That is evidenced by the fact that Manchester City have failed to file a clean sheet in seven of their last nine matches in all competitions, with six of those contests crashing through the Over 2.5 Goal barrier.
That will give RB Leipzig – who have only been outscored by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga this season – plenty of encouragement given that attack tends be to their best form of defence, as was the case when they earned a famous 3-2 win over Real Madrid at this venue back in October.
Having said that, Marco Rose's backline has been breached in four of their six post World Cup outings, with Over 2.5 clicking on all but one of those occasions.
With that in mind, as well as the fact that this bet bet would have landed in each of the two meetings between the pair in last season's Champions League, siding with the same wager on Wednesday night looks the way to go at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Elsewhere, I'll also head to the anytime goalscorer market and snap up the even-money (UniBet) quote on Erling Haaland to mark his return to Germany with a goal.
The Scandinavian sharpshooter has struck six times across his previous four appearances against the Red Bulls and he is an enticing price at evens (UniBet) to repeat the trick this midweek.
This UEFA Champions League match between RB Leipzig and Manchester City will be played on Feb 22, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best RB Leipzig vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
