Europa League
2012-03-15 - Manchester City vs Sporting Lisbon
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Football : Europe : Europa League
Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 8:05PM GMT
PREVIEW
Well now. Having performed so impressively for most of the season, Manchester City now find themselves trailing in the 2 competitions they are still in.
Man City lost 1-0 away in Lisbon and must play to their usual standards at home to progress, but have not warmed up for it well. On the weekend, City were blanked yet again, away at Swansea, who beat them 1-0. Will they wobble for a 3rd straight game?
It looks unlikely, because the fact remains Manchester City are just too powerful on their own patch. The Etihad has been an Abottabad fortress for the Citizens, who have won all 14 Premier League games here. They have impressed in Europe recently too, against Portugese opposition in fact, thrashing FC Porto 4-0 in the 2nd leg of that tie.
Sporting may lead but they did not play that well. Also, they aren't as strong a side as Porto, and look what happened to them when they came avisiting. Sporting have bad memories of previous trips to Manchester, when they lost heavily to United 4-1 and 2-1.
While Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 16 European home games, with 13 wins, Sporting Lisbon bring an awful run of form to this match, as they have won only 1 of their last 8 European away games. That last win came last season, at Zurich. They have lost 4 of those 8 games.
City will be livid after failing to score in their last 2 games. The had won their previous 3 games in impressive fashion, scoring 9 and conceding none. They need to win by 2 goals, and I doubt very much they mess things up at the Etihad.
BETTING VERDICT
Take Manchester City on the AH to win by a margin of at least 2 goals.
The Pick :
Manchester City 3-0 Sporting Lisbon
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Manchester City -1.5AH @ 1.90 (Pinnacle)
