Liam Kelly previews Manchester City's Champions League trip to face Sevilla, expecting a comfortable win for the visitors.
Football betting tips: Champions League
1.5pts Manchester City to win with -2 goal handicap at 11/4 (Betfair Sportsbook, PaddyPower)
It might be a surprise to some to see Manchester City so short in the betting for this match-up.
Sevilla, after all, have an excellent European pedigree and have pushed the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid close in recent domestic seasons.
They simply aren't a team capable of such things any longer, though, which explains the heavy odds-on for Manchester City to win the game.
Julen Lopetegui's side have had a predictably rough start to their La Liga campaign, gaining just one point from four fixtures. That includes a rather generous opening schedule before being completely dominated by Barca on Saturday night.
In winning 4-0, Barcelona created plenty of goalscoring opportunities (xG: SEV 0.91 - 4.81 BAR), recording nine big chances against a Sevilla team that were cut apart almost at will.
Losing the very solid partnership of Jules Koundé and Diego Carlos in the transfer window has clearly been a huge issue.
Perhaps this is not the best time to welcome Manchester City, who should really have beat Aston Villa at the weekend and will be desperate to lift the Champions League trophy this term.
The threat Pep Guardiola's side possess going forward needs little elaboration, already scoring 20 goals in six Premier League matches and averaging 2.60 expected goals for (xGF) per game.
Considering the form of each team entering this game, backing MANCHESTER CITY TO WIN WITH -2 GOAL HANDICAP is the play at a nice price of 11/4.
With Sevilla looking a shell of their former selves, especially at the back, City's probable dominance of the ball should result in a few goals.
The hosts have scored only three in four in La Liga, too, so the raised likelihood of a City clean sheet only furthers the relative confidence behind the selection.
Sevilla v Manchester City score prediction and best bets
- 1.5pts Manchester City to win with -2 goal handicap at 11/4 (Betfair Sportsbook, PaddyPower)
Score prediction: Sevilla 0-3 Manchester City (Sky Bet odds: 8/1)
Odds correct 1430 BST (05/09/22)
More from Sporting Life
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- Expert xG analysis and features
- Transfer news and done deals
- Football and other sports tips
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.