Man City v Club Brugge: Hosts set to breeze to double success

“Pep Guardiola has asked his men for a reaction after his side’s shock 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday. The players will work that little bit harder to secure a ‘to nil’ victory if they’re sitting on a clean sheet heading into the later stages of the game.”

Best Bet: Back ‘Yes’ in the Man City Win to Nil market vs Club Brugge @ 1.84/5

Man City vs Club Brugge
Wed, 20:00 GMT
Live on BT Sport 3

Obvious gulf in class

What chance do Club Brugge stand after the mauling Manchester City handed out a fortnight ago?

When the two sides met in the Belgian city on October 19 City ran out 5-1 winners to assert their dominance over opponents that have been dark horses in the group.

Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez (twice), Kyle Walker and Cole Palmer were all on the scoresheet, with only a late Hans Vanaken consolation goal giving the home fans something to cheer.

That late Vanaken strike meant our selection of ‘Yes’ in the Both Teams to Score? market paid out but the final scoreline made a mockery of those that felt Brugge’s excellent results in the group phase up until that point meant they had the potential to compete with City over 90 minutes.

Both sides fully motivated

Ferran Torres (footy injury) remains City’s only high-profile absentee, while Club Brugge midfielder Eder Balanta (suspended) is the biggest loss for the visitors at the Etihad Stadium.

City have greater strength in depth and Pep Guardiola has rotation options in several positions, while the starting line-up for Club Brugge is likely to be similar to the one that suffered that heavy beating a fortnight ago.

With three games played and three to go in the group stage, both sides still have every reason to be motivated.

Man City are currently second in Group A on six points, a point behind leaders PSG, while Club Brugge have picked up four points from their first three games and can still harbour hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase.

Club Brugge’s chances of doing so are extremely slim, but they’re a gutsy side and will turn up in Manchester looking to give a good account of themselves.

Given the gulf in class between the sides on show in the first meeting, however, it would be daft to back against City.

The hosts are an understandably short 1.132/15 to win, with Club Brugge 30.029/1 to collect all three points and The Draw 11.521/2.

Smarter ways to make City pay

With City such short odds to claim victory, the question then becomes: how to back Guardiola’s men?

Man City/Man City on the Half Time/Full Time market is 1.501/2, so there’s little appeal in this selection.

‘Yes’ in the Man City to Win to Nil market would be a better selection at 1.84/5. Guardiola has asked his players for a reaction after his side’s shock 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Focus levels will be high after that unexpected weekend setback and the players will give that little extra to maintain a clean sheet if they’ve yet to concede as the game heads into the later stages.

City are fully capable of racking up another big win and that points towards the markets that combine a home victory with a high number of total goals in the game.

Man City/Over 3.5 Goals is available at 2.1411/10 in the Match Odds and Over/Under 3.5 Goals market. This would have paid out in the first encounter between the sides, and is worth considering this time.

Finally, Man City -2.5 Asian Handicap at 2.01/1 is worth a look. With this selection, you simply need City to win by three or more goals to make a profit. For a full guide to Asian Handicap betting, click here.