Manchester City head to Madrid on Wednesday evening to continue their quest for Champions League glory. Holding a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg of their quarter-final tie, Pep Guardiola’s charges will need to be patient and disciplined in what is likely to be a cauldron at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
Manchester City came out on top in the first leg
Kevin De Bruyne was the difference between the two sides in the first leg, but as some of these Champions League stats show, City have been irresistible at times in Europe’s elite competition this season and Atletico have a tough task on their hands trying to turn the second leg:
- Average possession – 60.5% (rank first in this stat).
- Passing accuracy – 90.8% (rank first in this stat).
- 24 goals – second to Bayern Munich.
City go into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool last Sunday and they are still on course for a treble.
Atletico, meanwhile, are clinging onto a top-four spot as their La Liga title defence hasn’t gone according to plan. A 1-0 defeat away to Mallorca brought a five-match winning streak in Spain’s top flight to a grinding halt, but Simeone’s men won’t roll over. With the away goals rule abolished, the tie is still in the balance, but here are a few betting markets for you to pore over ahead of kick-off.
Kevin De Bruyne to continue fine scoring run
De Bruyne has been in a rich vein form, netting in each of his five past matches in all competition. Apart from his trademark passing ability where he can thread through eye-of-the-needle balls, the Belgian playmaker has been prolific by his standards, scoring 15 times in all competitions this term.
In his last 12 knockout stage matches, De Bruyne has found the target on six occasions and assisted five, and against Atletico, he took his opportunity with customary aplomb.
De Bruyne is a man for the big occasion, and while Atletico will make themselves tough to break down with their usual stoutness, De Bruyne will find a way through. The 30-year-old is at a juicy looking +290 with SugarHouse to score anytime for City against Atletico and this could be worth following up on.
Atletico to rack up the corners
Apart from being able to frustrate teams by defending deep, Atletico have some attacking flair going forward – you only have to look at the likes of Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann to know this side has goals in them.
Atletico have to go for it against City rather than sit back, otherwise, they will eventually be picked off. While it hasn’t happened for them in La Liga, they will want to give a good account of themselves against City and exert some pressure.
The total corners over/under market is usually an interesting betting line if you haven’t explored it before. SugarHouse thinks Atletico will rack up the corners and is offering a tempting price of +220 for the Spanish giants to claim Over 4.5 corners during regular time.
Manchester City to make progress
After a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League Final last season, City are on the road to redemption and they will be desperate to make the blue-chip event next month.
The Premier League leaders are looking formidable in Europe, and while Atletico knocked out Manchester United in the Round of 16, their adventure will end here. If you want to tuck into the Correct Score market, then SugarHouse is offering a long looking price of +700 for City to win 2-1 on that night which would see them claim a 3-1 aggregate victory. It will be another tight yet absorbing affair and this market may be worth investigating further.
