Can Manchester City produce in Spain on Wednesday night? The Premier League leaders, who easily look the most accomplished side there at the moment, have not found life too easy on their Champions League debut. A late winner at home against Villarreal on Match Day Three kept their chances of booking a qualification spot high, but they need the same result to really try and press on. That was City’s first win of the Champions League, following a draw against Napoli and then a tough defeat against Bayern Munich. So the learning curve for Manchester City has been pretty steep, but they finally got three points on the board, and it will be a matter of whether they push on from that now. It has to start here for City, who have just one more home match remaining, and as expected, points have not been too easy to come by in this group, which is arguably the toughest in the Champions League draw. For all of their goal scoring muscles which they have been flexing in the Premier League, life in the Champions League has been a different matter altogether. They have managed just three goals in their three matches, and while that is not great, just one more and a clean sheet on Wednesday night would serve them well. City simply have to add to their four points on Wednesday night, and hope that Bayern Munich thump Napoli. The Italians are just one point ahead of Man City, and that is who Roberto Mancini realistically have to target. It is highly unlikely that Bayern Munich are going to give up their top position over the next three matches, because they look incredibly strong. So really it is a chase for second place, and it is one which will probably go down to the wire. A win in Villarreal will be such a valuable commodity for City on Wednesday. It would put the Spaniards out of contention completely and keep the pressure on Napoli (who face a tough night in Germany).
City’s away record in Europe is not great though, and you have to bear that in mind for your Villarreal v Manchester City betting. City have not won in their last five European away matches, losing three of those, and just as worryingly, it has been over 280 minutes since they last scored an away goal. Villarreal’s defeat at Eastlands on Match Day three, saw them lose three consecutive European matches for the first time ever in their history. SO they will want to break that and they have a strong home record to back it up. Before losing at El Madrigal against Bayern Munich in this season’s Champions League, Villarreal had racked up a run of nine straight home wins in Europe and that is pretty impressive. Villarreal have also never lost at home against English opposition, a tough barrier for City to break through. In six home matches against English opposition, Villarreal have won two and drawn four. You can find more statistical info which works against Manchester City, as they haven’t won in Spain on their last three visits there. But Villarreal have their problems in the Champions League, managing just one goal so far, managing just nine attempts on target in their three matches compared to City’s 16. In their only home match so far this season in the tournament, a Mario Gomez double for Bayern Munich inflicted defeat upon the Spaniards. No, City have not been anywhere near as convincing in the Champions League as they have been on the domestic front, but they of course have massive potential if they can pull it all together. They may be able to take some heart from Villarreal sitting down in 13th place in La Liga, with just one win in their last six matches in the domestic league.
So City really need to reel out another win here. There was enough from the first meeting to suggest that they can break down Villarreal, who have, by and large, been a bit disappointing. They will need their big players to stand up and for their strikers to take any chance that will come their way. City should be able to take advantage of chances created in the match with the likes of Sergio Aguero up front. It could be a tough night in Spain, as Villarreal are fighting for their lives at the foot of the group. A draw wouldn’t be a total disaster for City, but they will be hoping that Napoli lose, and then City would need to ensure a win against the Italians.
Villarreal v Manchester City Champions League Betting
Man City to win: 8/13 at Totesport
Draw: 16/5 at VC Bet
Villarreal to win: 5/1 at Bet365
Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a good online betting promotion running for this match, with their Goalscorer Special. If there is a goal scored in the final five minutes of the match, then the bookie will pay out refunds on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. Good bit of coverage for your betting, and the highly popular Paddy Power offer a free £50 for new customers registering an account.
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