AFTER a sensational start to the English season, Man City now take on Juventus in the Champions League. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) previews the match for us.
Manchester City v Juventus | Tuesday 19:45 | Sky Sports 1
A fifth assault on the Champions League starts here for Man City and they'll be looking to land more heftier punches this term than in the previous four.
The English side have never looked like getting past the Last 16 of this competition and in two of the four years failed to get out the group stage. They've been gifted some tough draws to be fair but have generally looked a level off Europe's elite.
This season they've got a tough draw again with Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach and tonight's opponents Juventus lining up against them in Group D.
Star striker Sergio Aguero will miss the game after coming off with an injury on Saturday against Crystal Palace but David Silva and Raheem Sterling are due to return.
Opponents Juventus lost Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal over the summer and have started the new season in worrying form. An opening weekend home loss to Udinese was then made worse by defeat to title challengers Roma and a home draw against Chievo on Saturday night. While City have strolled through the opening weeks, Juventus are wheezing.
The Italian side got all the way to the Champions League final last season (something City can only dream of) but they tend to be slow starters in the group stage. Two seasons ago they were knocked out at this point by Real Madrid and Galatasaray while they lost twice in their group last season, including to Greek side Olympiakos.
This looks the perfect start for Man City to build up confidence for their European campaign. They're up against an A-list club that lack cohesion in this new season. Three points are waiting for them, all dressed up sexily and under the covers ready to be owned.
I really want to bank on the zest of Man City here but at 4/5 they're not exactly laden with value. Man City/Over 2.5 appeals but the absence of Aguero is a worry and one thinks back to how they huffed and puffed on Saturday against Crystal Palace before finally finding a last minute winner through a guy who's not even in the European squad. What if we see the same tonight? And then Juventus might not score either.
So instead I'll opt for a more conservative punt on exactly 2-3 goals at 21/20 with BetVictor. I expect Man City to win, but not enough to back them Win & Over 2.5.
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Man City v Juventus – Exactly 2-3 Goals (21/20 BetVictor)
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