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Villarreal are back in the Champions League for, among other things, a big game like this one. Manchester City visit Marcelino García Toral's side, who have only one point so far and need to keep on winning if they are not to slip down the table. For their part, City are unbeaten and have four points from their first two games.
Villarreal v Manchester City: Tuesday, October 21st, 20:00 BST
Manchester City to win - 8/11 @ bet365
Erling Haaland to score at any time - 8/11 @ bet365
Draw at half-time and Manchester City winning at the end of the game - 15/4 @ bet365
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publication and subject to change.
Villarreal winless, City unbeaten
Villarreal go into the third matchday without a win in the Champions League. In the opener, they fell to a narrow defeat away to Tottenham after a Luiz Junior own goal was enough for the Yellows to go away empty-handed after missing some dangerous chances. Marcelino García Toral's side did get their first point of the campaign at home to Juventus, taking the lead through Mikautadze. Still, Gatti and Conceiçao, after the break, made it 2-1 to the Bianconerri before Renato Veiga equalised in stoppage time to make it 2-2. With one point from a possible six, they are outside the playoff zone, occupying 26th position. They are, though, with a -1 goal difference, the best of the seven clubs with which they are level on points. In terms of their performance in LaLiga EA Sports, the Yellow Submarine are third with 17 points, five points behind leaders Barcelona.
For their part, Manchester City are eighth with four points and close to the direct qualification places for the last 16 of the Champions League. In their opener, the English side beat Napoli 2-0 with the Italian champions being reduced to ten men in the 21st minute for Di Lorenzo's red card. Napoli managed to hold on until the second half, when Erling Haaland made it 1-0 before Jérémy Doku extended the lead in the 65th minute. Two wins from two eluded the Citizens on matchday two, although Pep Guardiola's side came very close. Against Monaco, a double from Haaland, with Teze scoring in between, took the game into half-time at 2-1, but Eric Dier saved a point for the Louis II side by converting a penalty with time running out. In the Premier League, the Mancunians are second on 16 points, three behind Arsenal at the top of the table.
City need revenge against Monaco
Manchester City are unbeaten but were denied two wins in their last game by a stoppage-time penalty. Eric Dier converted from the spot to stop Pep Guardiola's side from earning their second win of the UCL, and they will be hoping to correct that draw with a win in Villarreal. A priori, they are favourites to do so. The odds of 8/11 prove it, but there is also a certain difficulty. City usually have lower odds for their victories and we want to take advantage of this rise in this match. Since losing two of their three matches in August, they have now won six matches in all competitions with two draws. In addition, the English have kept two clean sheets in their last two matches, while they have scored 10 goals in their last four. For all these reasons and because of Pep's squad, we are betting on the away win.
Tip: Manchester City win - 8/11 @ bet365
Bet explanation: If Manchester City beat Villarreal, you will win this bet.
A Norwegian rocket
Of those 10 goals Manchester City have scored in their last four games, Erling Haaland has scored seven. Little more can be said about the striker's form, who has now scored 14 goals in 10 competitive games for his club. But he is also on fire with his national team. He scored a hat trick just a few days ago against Israel and, in September, he scored five of his 11 goals against Moldova. In his most recent games, he scored braces against Burnley, Monaco and Everton, as well as the only goal for the Citizens against Brentford. As far as the Champions League is concerned, he has scored three of the Mancunians' four goals, which makes him the favourite to score in the match against Villarreal. And we are, of course, on board the Norwegian's boat.
Tip: Erling Haaland to score at any time - 8/11 @ bet365
Bet explanation: This bet wins if Haaland scores one or more goals against Villarreal.
A City more patient than overwhelming
It is true that Manchester City have not lost since August. It is also true that they are second in the Premier League, but over the course of these two months of competition, they have on several occasions looked less spectacular and superior than they have in the past. For example, in their last game, they were unable to go in at half-time in the lead. Against Everton, Haaland opened the scoring in the 58th minute on their way to a 2-0 win. Against Burnley, despite finishing with a 5-1 scoreline, they went in at half-time equal at 1-1. City have also experienced this in the Champions League. In the opener, it was not until the second half that they took the lead against Napoli with goals from Haaland (56 mins) and Jéremy Doku (65 mins). We’re backing this trend to continue and City to go in at half-time level before running away with it in the second half. It is obviously risky, but no more so than the 15/4 odds for it making it an attractive bet.
Tip: Draw at half-time and Manchester City win at the end of the match - 15/4 @ bet365
Bet explanation: To win this bet, City must win the match, but the game must go in at half-time with the score tied.
The odds for Villarreal v Manchester City
Villarreal win - 10/3 @ bet365
Manchester City win - 8/11 @ bet365
Odds, correct at time of publication, are subject to change.
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Odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.