Will RB get another slap on the wrist at the Etihad Stadium?
We know from long experience that the fifth day in the Champions League already includes matches of limited importance. Tuesday’s clash at the Etihad Stadium is for first and second place, but with both teams already qualified for the round of 16, our Manchester City – RB Leipzig betting tip also looks at how much both clubs want to win the group
As expected, the defending champions from the Island are still unblemished after four games in this preliminary round of Group G. After four wins they have twelve points. A draw on Tuesday is enough to secure top spot. However, City are unlikely to play for a point and will do everything they can to consolidate their position as the best team in Europe at the moment.
The Bulls can travel to England without much pressure. Nine points means at least second place. Perhaps it would be presumptuous to expect a great away performance now, firstly because the Saxons have their problems away from home and secondly because Manchester City have conceded a total of 13 goals in two games. Between Manchester City and RB Leipzig, this sounds like a prediction not only for a home win, but also for a lot of goals
By the way, we can also assume that at least the defending champions will make a serious rotation. At the moment the Premier League is more important to keep the chaser off. That goes for the Bulls and the Bundesliga as well, but they don’t have the personnel options that the English have
Manchester City – stats & current form
Pep Guardiola has been the City coach for seven years now. However, he is currently going through the best phase with his team, although this has been going on for a while. Not only is Manchester City the reigning Premier League champions, but the sky-blues are the measure of all things in England and have won the league in each of the last three years
Fell to second in the Premier League
However, Manchester are currently only second and one point behind leader Arsenal. With Liverpool and Aston Villa they have two more rivals breathing down their neck. At the moment the Premier League looks a tougher place to play compared to the top flight. This is another reason why we are looking at the handicap odds for a home win in the match between Manchester City and RB Leipzig.
Especially in the Champions League, City don’t let anything burn them anyway. They are unbeaten in this competition for 17 matches. They haven’t lost at their own stadium in the top flight for 27 games now. Furthermore, Manchester City not only have the best attack in the Champions League, but have also scored the most goals in the Premier League. Therefore, we can expect a lot of goals on Tuesday.
Last weekend, the top game against Liverpool in the Premier League was on the schedule. Erling Haaland, who incidentally scored eleven times in seven games against the Bulls, put his colours ahead after just over half an hour. Ten minutes before the end, however, Liverpool equalised for 1-1. With this draw Manchester City had to concede the first place in the English league for the time being.
Expected Manchester City line-up:
RB Leipzig – Statistics & current form
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Bikes can be quite happy that they have been given an easy Champions League group, because things are not going so well for Marco Rosse’s team at the moment. They can’t complain at home. The only defeat at the Red Bull Arena this season was in the first leg against City. But when you go on the road, you usually don’t get much. Saxons have lost three of their last four away games
Big problems on the road
That means that, on the contrary, they’ve already been eliminated from the DFB Cup and missed out on defending their title there. They also slipped to fifth place in the Bundesliga, which will only qualify them for the Europa League next season. On this record, especially away from home, we wouldn’t predict the visitors to take a point between Manchester City and RB Leipzig
This is also due to the fact that English stadiums are hardly a good venue for the Bulls. Leipzig have suffered four defeats on English soil in their last four Champions League away games, conceding a total of 20 goals in the process. That’s an average of five goals per game. It also suggests that a handicap win for City or a bet on the race could certainly be exciting.
In the upper echelon, there were actually two away wins in Bern and Belgrade. Last weekend RB Leipzig also had to travel to the Bundesliga. They were knocked out of the DFB Cup in Wolfsburg four weeks ago and were also beaten by Wolves in the league. Jusuf Poulsen levelled the early deficit, but despite a really decent performance, the Saxons eventually lost 2-1.
Predicted line-up for RB Leipzig:
Manchester City – RB Leipzig goal difference / H2H score
This is the third time that Manchester City and RB Leipzig have faced each other. In 2021 there were also two matches in the groups. Last season, the two clubs faced each other in the round of 16, and this year it’s the group stage again. In a direct comparison of the five matches so far, the English have the edge with 3-1 wins and one draw.
However, the Bulls don’t like travelling to England and obviously not to the Etihad Stadium. They lost 3:6 on their first visit there and last year Leipzig even lost 7:0. The first game of the current season was a bit closer. Cityzens won 3:1 in Leipzig after goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku, meanwhile Lois Openda equalised for Leipzig for 1:1
Manchester City – RB Leipzig betting tip
Manchester City are clear favourites in this clash. The defending champions have not lost in the top flight for 17 games. In fact, they haven’t lost at home in the Champions League in 27 games. That’s why we expect the English side to win on Tuesday. The only question is how that will happen.
Leipzig have repeatedly failed to mask their weaknesses away from home this season. On the whole, they have always been well beaten in England in recent times. Only the last game at the Etihad Stadium ended in a 7-0 thrashing, with Erling Haaland scoring five goals, and Leipzig are the club against whom the Norwegian has the best goalscoring record in professional football with eleven goals in seven games
So we can imagine that the City judges will win the game with a Haaland goal. In the end, we can’t rule out an outright win for England. Although both teams have already qualified for the round of 16, as reigning champions City certainly have more to lose than the Bulls. In the end, we have decided to play the odds to win with handicap (-1,5) for the hosts between Manchester City and RB Leipzig