Atletico Madrid v Man City betting tips: Hosts must open up
Preview, odds and Atletico Madrid v Man City betting tips
Manchester City remain in control of the Premier League title race and now their focus switches back to the Champions League as we pick out some Atletico Madrid v Man City betting tips.
City head to the Spanish capital with a 1-0 lead after grinding out a hard-fought victory at the Etihad Stadium last week.
Atletico will hope home advantage can see them overturn the deficit in the second leg, which kicks off at 8pm on Wednesday and is live on BT Sport.
City firm favourites
City began the quarter-final as the Champions League favourites and they are now 1/9 to reach the semi-finals after winning the first leg thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne goal 20 minutes from time.
The Belgian playmaker fired home from a tight angle after Phil Foden came off the bench to stunning effect in a tense and tight first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Atletico were their usual dogged, defensive selves for most of the game and frustrated City despite the hosts’ dominance of possession.
Yet the introduction of Foden as part of a triple substitution by Pep Guardiola in the 68th minute paid almost immediate dividends.
Within moments he had slipped in De Bruyne with a delicate through ball and he finished firmly to put City in control of the tie.
City are also odds-on favourites to win the second leg at 4/5 while Atletico are 15/4 to win the second leg and 5/1 to go through.
A draw was a satisfactory result for City against Liverpool on Sunday and they would settle for the same outcome again here at 13/5.
New approach from Atletico?
Boss Diego Simeone had promised Atletico would play their usual cagey game in the first leg and he was as good as his word, forcing City to play patiently.
The challenge for the Spanish side now is to cause City more problems as they chase the game without leaving themselves too open at the back.
The first leg ended in scrappy fashion with numerous stoppages as Atletico let their frustration show.
City boss Pep Guardiola now expects the second leg to be a stop-start affair with Atletico attempting to disrupt his team’s rhythm.
He said: “I guess part of the game will be more of what happened in the last 15-20 minutes after the goal. This is my feeling. We have to prepare and adapt.”
Under 2.5 goals is 4/5 in the Atletico Madrid v Man City odds while another City win to nil is priced at 19/10.
Simeone still hopeful
Simeone conceded the better side won last week but feels his team are still alive in the tie.
He said: “It is a bad result because we lost 1-0 and we were looking to win.
“It is clear we were playing against an extraordinary opponent. The numbers and statistics speak for themselves and they play in a very dynamic way.
“We had to suffer but we have to go to Madrid now and use the tools we have at our disposal.
“We need to be better but we are still in the tie. Let’s see if we can have the ball more in the second leg and create more difficulties for opponents.”
Atletico’s best hope may be to make it an open game, given they are no longer as defensively solid as they used to be.
They have the worst defensive record in the top eight in La Liga this season and lost 3-2 at home to Liverpool during the group stage of the Champions League, while they drew 1-1 with Manchester United in the round of 16.
Both teams to score is an option for Atletico Madrid v Man City betting tips at 20/23, with a City win and goals at both ends 29/10.
The game could open up if Atletico become more desperate so Draw HT/Man City FT is a tempting option at 17/5 while both teams to score in the second half is 23/10.
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
