Sporting vs. Manchester City: preview and betting tips

The Champions League knockout stage starts on Tuesday. Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City will face off alongside PSG and Real Madrid. Will the English league champions confirm their role as favourites?

Sporting are playing very well, winning four of their last five games and dominating the Portuguese Cup. They are currently second in the league table, six points behind leaders Porto. It has reached the knockout stages of the Champions League from second place in a group with Ajax, Dortmund and Besiktas.

Manchester City are on a roll on the league scene. It has won thirteen of its last fourteen games and has a nine-point lead over second-placed Liverpool at the top of the league. It has reached the Champions League eighth-finals ahead of PSG, Leipzig and Brugge.

One of the biggest talents of the moment is Pedro Gonçalves, he has scored thirteen goals and assisted nine in a Sporting jersey this season through all competitions. Experienced spearhead striker Paulinho boasts a 12+6 record.

Probably Manchester’s best player throughout the season is Joao Cancelo. He’s been reliable at right and left back, with three goals and eight assists overall. Bernardo Silva has also had an excellent season with ten goals for the Citizens (8+2).

Sporting rely on a goal scoring attack, scoring at least two goals in eleven of their last twelve games, and netting three goals in their second game against Dortmund.

As expected, Manchester score the most goals in the Isles and concede the least. In twenty-five games it has scored sixty-one times, while conceding only fourteen goals.

Given the Citizens’ abnormally good form, I think they will win by two or more goals in Portugal.