Barcelona vs. Manchester City Odds and Pick
Phil Kitromilides
Goal.com
Barcelona lead 2-1 on aggregate, and 16 wins from 17 games in all competitions means they come into the second leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie with Manchester City on Wednesday (3:45 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) brimming with confidence.
City for their part have lost five times in their last 15 games, three of those in their last four, the most recent on Saturday against Burnley, the side who were second bottom of the English top flight.
CG Technology in Las Vegas prices the visitors at an optimistic +625 odds for the win, while Barca are offered at an -180, and the draw is available at +420.
Given the first leg, City know they must score at least twice to have any chance of progressing and it will be a fine balancing act for the Manchester side between attempting to venture forward to take the game to Barca and making sure they do not get caught out at the back and concede any more.
A ‘both teams to score’ prop is offered offshore at -162, odds not big enough for our purposes despite the likelihood of it paying out.
The total in Las Vegas is set at 3.5 goals (OVER +115, UNDER -135). City can also be backed at +1.5 goals (-115), while Barca is -1.5 goals (-105).
City should score in this clash. Despite the way Barcelona dominated them for large parts of the first leg, the English side are capable of finding the back of the net at the Camp Nou, where Barca's defense has been far from impregnable.
The Catalans have only kept two clean sheets in their last nine home matches in La Liga, and while they have been scoring consistently, they have also been conceding with regularity too.
The offshore price of +140 for City to score in the first half is appealing, given the fact the Blues know they simply must find the back of the net. Barcelona can be vulnerable from set pieces while City have enough quality in their attacking line to trouble the home defense.
That is not to say that the English side will win. They probably will not. But a goal in the first is well within their capabilities and provides an appeal price for bettors wishing to get involved in the match.
Goal.com best bet: Manchester City to score in the first half at +140