Will City once again celebrate a shooting match against Sporting?
No longer is St Petersburg the destination for the remaining teams in the top flight, but at the end of May they all want to (be allowed to) play at Prinzenpark. This week, the first four quarter-finalists will be fixed, although one team will already be in the last eight before the second leg with almost limitless probability. For last year’s finalists Manchester City, the match against Sporting Lisbon is only a compulsory task, the decision has virtually already been made.
No longer is St. Petersburg the destination for the remaining teams in the top flight, but at the end of May they all want to (be allowed to) play at Prinzenpark. This week, the first four quarter-finalists will be fixed, although one team will already be in the last eight before the second leg with almost limitless probability. For last year’s finalists Manchester City, the match against Sporting Lisbon is only a compulsory task and the decision has already been made.
Guardiola’s disciples can therefore take it easy, but anyone who knows Guardiola the perfectionist knows that this will not be an option. The match kicks off at the Citizens’ Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night at 9pm.
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
Who needs a centre-forward? Anyone who follows Pep Guardiola’s football at Manchester City actually asks this question. The “false nine” plays a big role for the Skyblues, because with Gabriel Jesus there is only one skilled man in the squad for the forward position. The Brazilian is by no means a starter, but rather the 24-year-old acts as a wild card. Even without a trained attacker, Pep Guardiola’s players are always scoring goals. 68 goals in the league this season are just three goals less than their title rivals Liverpool.
City bursting with spirit in derby
Underlined on Sunday afternoon, the colour blue is dominant in Manchester. In their clash with the Red Devils, Manchester City left no stone unturned and led by an outstanding Kevin de Bruyne, the reigning champions secured a 4-1 victory. Speaking of Kevin de Bruyne, the Belgian could make his 50th Champions League appearance for the Citizens on Wednesday (49 games, ten goals, 17 assists).
Top CL scorer this season is Riyad Mahrez, who has already scored six times. The Algerian is now just one goal away from becoming the first City player to score seven times in a season. However, after his two goals against Manchester United, Mahrez is likely to be rotated to the bench and Raheem Sterling will be called into action. Sterling is the league’s top scorer (ten goals) along with Riyad Mahrez. This makes the prediction of a Sterling goal against Sporting Lisbon a good one for Manchester City. The 27-year-old can play both on the wing and as a false nine.
Six knockout wins in a row at the Etihad Stadium
There are plenty of arguments in favour of the home side on Wednesday night. A look at the statistics underlines this role once again, because Manchester City have not only won all four home games against Portuguese teams, but have also won the last six knockout games in the UEFA Champions League at the Etihad Stadium. It is only the sixth time in history that a team could now celebrate seven wins en suite (the last time was Real Madrid in February 2018).
Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ederson – Zinchenko, Laporte, Stones, Walker – Gündogan, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva – Grealish, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling
Last matches played by Manchester City:
Premier League
03/06 2022 – Manchester City 4 – 1 Manchester United
FA Cup
03/01 2022 – Peterboro 0 – 2 Manchester City
Premier League
02/26 2022 – Everton 0 – 1 Manchester City
02/19 2022 – Manchester City 2 – 3 Tottenham
Champions League Final
02/15 2022 – Sporting CP 0 – 5 Manchester City
Sporting Lisbon – Statistics & current form
The Portuguese team’s progress and the resulting elimination of Borussia Dortmund was certainly one of the biggest surprises and yet it must be noted that from Sporting’s point of view, the discrepancy between domestic and international competition could hardly be greater. In the domestic league, the green lions have a veritable defensive bulwark, conceding only 16 goals in 25 league games. In the top flight, meanwhile, the Portuguese champions have already conceded 17 goals in just seven games.
The same number of goals conceded as in 13 league games
In particular, the dismantling at home was a pure disappointment. In the domestic championship, Sporting look at a convincing 11-1-1 record with just five goals conceded in 1,170 minutes. It took the City attack just 58 minutes to give Sporting five goals. This was the third knockout match in the UEFA Champions League to end in a heavy defeat.
In 2008/09, the Portuguese side were beaten 5-0 and 7-1 by FC Bayern München. Sporting Lisbon have conceded an incredible 17 (!) goals in three knockout matches. There is no real improvement in sight, as the Sporting defence is particularly unconvincing away from home. In the last 13 away matches in the top flight, they have always conceded at least one goal (31 in total). And in the motherland of football, they only managed to score once in 14 games. With these facts and figures, a prediction of an emphatic victory for the home side between Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon is absolutely obvious.
Topstar Goncalves out
The appearance at the Etihad Stadium accordingly means the end of the 2021/22 international journey, and to make matters worse, top star Pedro Goncalves is out through injury. Head coach Ruben Amorim will, however, rotate a little in general and the best formation is not to be expected at Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday evening. In general, the focus is now on the league, with the hope that Porto will stumble again. However, defending the title is unlikely given the six-point gap.
Predicted line-up of Sporting Lisbon:
Adan – Goncalo Inacio, Coates, Reis – Vinagre, Essugo, Matheus Nunes, Esgaio – Santos, Slimani, Sarabia
Last matches played by Sporting Lisbon:
Liga Portugal
03/05 2022 – Sporting CP 2 – 0 Arouca
Cup
03/02 2022 – Sporting CP 1 – 2 FC Porto
Liga Portugal
02/26 2022 – Maritimo 1 – 1 Sporting CP
02/20 2022 – Sporting CP 3 – 0 Estoril
Champions League Final
02/15 2022 – Sporting CP 0 – 5 Manchester City
Manchester City – Sporting Lisbon Direct comparison / H2H record
2011/12 the two teams also faced each other in the round of 16, but then still in the Europa League. The Europa League was little consolation for City, so it wasn’t such a big sensation that Sporting Lisbon prevailed thanks to the away goals rule.
Ten years later, the Skyblues got their revenge with a 5-0 away win, the highest away win in a knockout match in CL history. Manchester City never left any doubt at any point in the game, the class difference was clear to see.
Manchester City – Sporting Lisbon Tip
The sporting value of this match is manageable, because this fair is already read after the first leg. There will therefore be a change or two on both sides, but this does not change the fact that the outcome of the game will be determined solely by the home side. The difference in quality, coupled with the Portuguese side’s poor away record in the CL, means that the only bet between Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon is in favour of the home side.
With Goncalves out of action for Sporting Lisbon, the chances of them scoring are again drastically reduced. Perfectionist Guardiola will once again expect a focused, game-changing performance from his side. Guardiola’s hunger for goals is never satiated and therefore betting on another clear City victory seems to be the best option between Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon. A three-goal win is definitely within the realms of possibility given City’s dominance. Especially if it is assumed that Sporting will not score, the 2.18 for City -2.5 is much more lucrative than a 1.44 for the over 2.5. Accordingly, in the Manchester City vs. Sporting Lisbon match, the betting odds on a handicap win for the Skyblues should be kept in mind.
