Man City vs Sporting Odds & Prediction – Champions League Round of 16 Leg 2
- Man City takes on Sporting in the second leg of their Round of 16 duel on Wednesday, March 9th at 3:00 pm ET
- In the reverse fixture, Man City beat the Primeira Liga champions by a score of 5-0 at the Estadio José Alvalade
- Get the odds, analysis, and betting prediction below
On Wednesday, Man City look to break into the Champions League quarterfinals in their second leg Round of 16 match with Sporting. Of course, in the first leg, the Citizens dismantled and embarrassed the Portuguese side on their home ground. In fact, if winning 5-0 was not enough, they held 63% possession and outshot their opponents 15-3.
Now, the circumstances are a bit different. For Man City, the game is just about done and dusted. Still, it is the Champions League, and we all know comebacks are possible. However, it would truly take a miracle for Sporting and Rúben Amorim to see any consolation from this match.
Despite this, expect Sporting to still put a shift in and play for pride in this contest. Conversely, Pep Guardiola will be contemplating rotating his side heavily. This match is a great chance to give some young Man City talent a run out in a European environment. As a result, do not expect Man City to put up a scoreline like they did in the first leg.
Man City vs Sporting Odds
| Matchup | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City vs Sporting | MCI -2.5 (+114) | SPO +2.5 (-136) | MCI -715 | SPO +1900 | DRAW +800 | Ov 3.5 (+112) | Un 3.5 (-137) |
Odds as of Mar 7th at Barstool Sportsbook
Overall, the moneyline odds heavily favor Man City at -715. However, there is potential value in them covering the -2.5 spread with odds of +114. They have won four out of their seven Champions League contests this season by a margin of more than two goals.
Betting splits from DraftKings Sportsbook show the public is loving Man City to win again in this second leg. 82% of the handle and 92% of the bets have come in on Pep Guardiola’s side.
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Man City Have One Foot in the Quarterfinals
Furthermore, while Guardiola might not admit this, he and his staff will be already planning for the next round. For professionalism, Man City will claim to be focused on the Sporting match only. But, because of the 5-0 scoreline and burning title race with Liverpool on the opposite front, the emphasis will be on rest and rotation.
Inevitably, Guardiola will probably rest some big names in this match. In the backline, we know for a fact that Ruben Dias and Kyle Walker will be absent due to injury and suspension, respectively. In turn, expect Nathan Ake or John Stones to start as Aymeric Laporte’s central partner, while Oleksandr Zinchenko will slot in on the left.
Man City vs Sporting Champions League Statistics
| 3.29 | Goals per game | 2.00 |
| 2.43 | Expected goals per game | 1.44 |
| 1.43 | Goals allowed per game | 2.43 |
| 0.83 | Expected goals allowed per game | 1.71 |
| 59.1% | Possession % | 42.2% |
| 89.8% | Passing Accuracy % | 79.6% |
| 17.4 | Shots per game | 10.3 |
Moreover, Kevin De Bruyne could be another name on the bench as he is currently at risk of suspension. The Belgian midfielder only needs only more yellow card before facing punishment due to accumulation.
Nonetheless, Man City currently have the best Champions League odds of +225. If one of their best players were to go down injured in this match or get suspended for the next round, those odds could change.
A post-derby dust down! 🙌#ManCity pic.twitter.com/5OlqdNsouS
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 7, 2022
On the other hand, it is hard to make any case against Man City, even with a rotated team. They have only seen defeat once in 17 games, and just took down their crosstown rivals, Manchester United, in a 4-1 statement victory.
Sporting Are on a Run of Awful Form
Unfortunately, the odds are just stacked up against the Leões. They had a great European campaign, and truly deserve some credit for making it out of a group with Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Besiktas.
⭐️ 𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗽𝗼 𝗖 ⭐️
1⃣ Ajax 🎟️
2⃣ Sporting CP 🎟️
3⃣ Dortmund
4⃣ Beşiktaş
🔎 https://t.co/gZgV0PL61g#UCL pic.twitter.com/n3BfV17qAw— Liga de Campeones (@LigadeCampeones) December 7, 2021
Regardless, this is a match where the obvious choice is also the obvious answer. Man City will definitely advance into the quarterfinals, and they will also probably win the second leg in front of their home supporters.
Currently, Sporting only have two wins in their last six matches in all competitions. While they have lost games to Man City and Porto in cup competition, they have also drawn to Porto and Maritimo in Primeira Liga play. With Matheus Nunes, Bragança, Pedro Gonçalves and João Palhinha out, this game is more of a question of how bad will Man City win.
⏹️ FINAL DO JOGO:
Os Leões perdem o jogo da 1.ª mão das meias-finais da #TaçaDePortugal. #SCPFCP #DiaDeSporting pic.twitter.com/JDbzroaIuK
— Sporting Clube de Portugal 🏆 (@Sporting_CP) March 2, 2022
Man City vs Sporting Best Bet
Overall, the best bet for this match is Man City to cover the -2.5 spread with odds of +114. These odds have great value, and City have hit this result in Champions League ties more often than not this season. While some big names are set to be rested, this side is ruthless from top to bottom.
Pick: Man City -2.5 (+114)
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Josh Ricker is a freelance sports journalist, currently attending the University of Southern Maine (Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and Marketing). He has recently interned with the AA Portland Sea Dogs, and his work has been featured on Fansided, as well as now here on SBD.
