Manchester City visits Atletico Madrid in arguably the most intriguing UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. The first leg saw the English champions posting a minimal win in one-sided domination, which lasted throughout all 90 minutes. Atletico didn’t even try to attack except on several occasions and was stubbornly parking the bus in front of its goal. Things will have to be different for the Mattress Makers in the second leg, otherwise, their UCL run will be over.
Preview
Atletico Madrid (+375) didn’t make a good intro for this event. Simeone’s crew lost on the road in Mallorca, 1-0, and that was the second straight defeat for this team, both with the same result. What bothers their fans is a pale attack, who didn’t score a single goal in two matches.
Four of the past five games Atletico played, ended with only one goal, and those same games saw one side scoring. As time goes by, the Madridians’ events are becoming less and less efficient.
The most recent three events at home saw them winning, netting twice at least. That is something they will have to do on Wednesday night if they want to advance to the next stage.
Manchester City (-115) played 2-2 against Liverpool in arguably the best game this year. Both teams had their chances, and both of them deserved to win, but in the end, we really believe that the draw is the fairest outcome.
This was the ninth straight game in which the Citizens didn’t lose, and throughout that stretch, we’ve seen them posting six triumphs and three draws. Altogether, Guardiola’s unit is playing well, yet we need to say that Ruben Dias’s absence in the defense does create some minor trouble.
Man City is without a loss on the road in the last 13 games. They haven’t allowed a goal in six of the last seven outings, winning the same number of games during that stretch. Sometimes, they are playing much better away from home, because the rivals want to attack or play open, unlike during the games at Etihad.
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Gimenez and Herrera are out for the home team due to respective injuries.
On the other side, Dias is injured, while Gabriel Jesus won’t be able to help due to his yellow-card suspension. Benjamin Mendy is suspended as well.
Head to Head Games
The first leg, particularly the opening half saw Atletico defending with all 11 players. The Spanish team didn’t even try to endanger Ederson’s net. The game was frustrating for the fans who didn’t like Atletico’s approach, but in the end, Kevin de Bruyne managed to score and break the guests’ lock.
Prediction
Atletico needs to win, and they need two goals at least to eliminate the English rivals. However, if they open, and they will have to do it at some point, Manchester City’s counter-attack will shine. Sterling and the boys didn’t have the chance to show their speed in the opening leg, yet things ought to be different on Wednesday night. Our pick is City to win, with the odds set at -115 right now.
Pick: Manchester City win -115
Here are the previews for other UEFA Champions League games
Nikola Velickovic is a sports journalist who loves to write and read on all sports. Nikola contributes both news updates and functions as a sports breaking news writer at WagerBop.
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