One of many hardest duties in soccer needs to be travelling to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester Metropolis after they’ve simply dropped beneficial factors throughout the house stretch of a title race.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea should have felt like a defeat for Pep Guardiola and his gamers, who seemed totally dejected on the ultimate whistle.
The failure to beat the inconsistent Blues means Metropolis can not climb above Premier League leaders Liverpool in the event that they win their recreation in hand in opposition to Brentford – the final staff to beat them on house soil after they took full factors again to London after a 2-1 win because of Ivan Toney’s double in November 2022.
Win on the Etihad is one thing Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Actual Madrid, Bayern Munich and a bunch of different high groups have didn’t since then.
The Bees did the double over Metropolis final season however have already misplaced to them this time period, tumbling to a 3-1 defeat in west London a few weeks in the past when Phil Foden’s hat-trick erased the opener from Neal Maupay.
Brentford responded by successful 2-0 at Wolves however then crashed to a 4-1 defeat at house to Liverpool on the weekend. Toney scored his fourth aim in 5 matches since his return from suspension at first of the 12 months however the Reds have been simple winners.
The Bees will likely be anticipating a backlash in Manchester and though boss Thomas Frank is a shrewd tactician, one other away win in opposition to the defending champions seems a monumental job.
The bookies clearly assume that means, pricing Metropolis at no higher than 1/5 with Coral and bet365 to win and they’re simply 7/10 with the previous agency and Ladbrokes to guide HT/FT.
This might properly be a kind of nights when Guardiola’s staff remind everybody else why they’re essentially the most feared aspect on the planet on their day and a victory by greater than three objectives is 7/2 with Betfair and Paddy Energy.
Erling Haaland missed some sitters in opposition to Chelsea and is 9/4 with the large three of Ladbrokes, Coral and William Hill to atone with the opening aim, whereas Foden is 21/10 with Paddy Energy to get on the scoresheet in opposition to Brentford once more.
Metropolis have stored simply two clear sheets of their final seven matches, so again Toney to seize a comfort on the identical worth with the identical corporations.
A 5-1 Metropolis win is 25/1 with Hills, Ladbrokes, Coral and bet365.
• Inter Milan are 4/5 with Betway and Betfred to win their Champions League spherical of 16, first leg with Atletico Madrid on the San Siro. Lautaro Martinez is 4/1 to open the scoring and 13/8 to attain at any time with bet365.
• West Brom, Studying, Stockport and Morecambe type Tuesday’s Soccer League yankee.
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