Manchester City vs. Monaco Preview
Where: Etihad Stadium – Manchester, England
When: Tuesday, February 21, 2017, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Manchester City -200 vs. Monaco +410, draw +305; total 3.0 – view all Champions League lines
Writer’s Pick: Manchester City (-200)
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Betting on Manchester City (-200)
Manchester City have finally rediscovered a sense of consistency in the Premier League as they’ve won three games in a row. However, they lost a big part of that recent revival in Gabriel Jesus, who broke his foot and will miss their two-legged tie against Monaco.
But if there’s a team that can weather his loss, it’s probably City. The English giants can still call on star striker Sergio Aguero, who has scored 14 goals in 18 Premier League and Champions League matches this season. However, it should be noted how that Aguero has gone 552 minutes without scoring a goal during the knockout stage of the Champions League.
The big question mark for Pep Guardiola will be how he’ll set up his midfield and defense away from home. He’s played with just one recognized holding midfielder in very attacking formations in recent matches, but that strategy may expose them too much against a dangerous Monaco side. And even if he does play more conservatively, City haven’t shown the ability to control matches like Pep’s Barcelona teams.
Nevertheless, they will be at home, where they should have the edge. City went undefeated (two wins and a draw) in three home group games, with eight goals scored and just 2 conceded.
Betting on Monaco (+410)
The top scoring team in all of the five major European leagues isn’t Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich. It’s Monaco. The French side have fired in 76 goals in 26 matches this season, which is a big reason why they have a three-point advantage over Paris Saint-Germain and Nice atop Ligue 1.
Monaco didn’t quite display that attacking talent during the group stage, where they scored just 9 goals. However, those goals were enough to see them top Group E ahead of Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham. They beat Spurs 2-1 at Wembley during their last trip to England.
Monaco have been held goalless just twice this season. One of them came during their final group game against Leverkusen, but that game was basically inconsequential for Monaco, who had already topped the group at that point. They should stand a good chance of poaching a crucial away goal against City defense which has been suspect all season long.
Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim is no stranger to taking down big-time English opposition in the Champions League. The last time his Monaco side reached the round of 16, they defeated Arsenal thanks to a 3-1 away win at the Emirates.
Writer’s Prediction
City (-200) sneak by with a 2-1 home win, but Monaco come away with a crucial away goal.
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