Barcelona vs Manchester City - Betting Preview
Football - Europe Champions League
Wednesday March 12th - Kick of time 20:45 CET
Barcelona suffered defeat against relegation contender Valladolid in their last match and they are losing ground in the chase for the title in the Primera Division. Their form has been inconsistent lately as they also suffered defeat against Real Sociedad 3 weeks ago. In the Champions League, this season, they have lost just once (against Ajax), won five time and drew once in 7 matches played till now.
Midfielder Santos (3/0) and forward Cuenca (0/0) are expected to be out. Important midfielder Iniesta (24/1) is doubtful to play because his wife recently had a miscarriage in which they lost their baby and he is suffering from psychological stress. He did not play against Valladolid.
Manchester City, on the other hand, suffered a shock defeat against second division team Wigan. Once again defender Demichelis (15/0) has been sited as the player responsible for this defeat due to his poor defending and aggressive tackle which led to a penalty for Wigan.
Most of the defeats of Manchester City this season were down to poor defending from Demichelis. He is too slow on the ball and he cannot defend properly. He was also responsible for the defeat against Barcelona in which he was red carded leading to a straight penalty.
It was really surprising how Pellegrini kept selecting him in the starting line up. The good news is that he will not play tonight as he is suspended. Joleon Lescott who is a much better defender will replace him. Defender Nastasic (13/1) and forward Jovetic (7/1) are expected to be out. It's like, almost the all best players will be available for selection. Pellegrini received a touchline ban, so he will most likely pass on instructions to his assistant during the game who will convey them on to the players.
IMHO Barcelona are too overrated in this match and they have been made heavy favourites by the bookmakers. They are not invincible at home we all know that. In fact, some weeks ago, they lost against Valencia at Camp Nou. Manchester City possess so much individual and world class talent in the squad (Aguero, Nasri, Yaya Toure, David Silva, etc) that they can defeat any team. They have even defeated Bayern Munich in the Champions League in an away match (2-3). So, why not Barcelona?
Each match is different. Tactics change from one match to another and the attitude of the players also is different. From my point of view, this match is 50-50, both teams have equal chances of winning and it can go either way. As such, from a betting standpoint, the team with such good odds is worth a shot on low stake - Manchester City Asian Handicap 0
Pick: Manchester City on AH0 (Draw No Bet) @ 4.25
