PSG, Man City, Neymar
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Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain Betting Tips: City on brink of first final

| 02.05.2021
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Preview and odds for Champions League semi-final

Manchester City have one foot in their first Champions League final but will be wary of the firepower that Paris Saint-Germain possess ahead of the second leg.

City came from behind to win the first leg 2-1 and are clear favourites to qualify at 1/8, with PSG available at 9/2 to get the result they need at the Etihad Stadium.

PSG will be looking for another bright start after taking a first-half lead in the first leg thanks to Marquinhos but City were much improved after the break and got their reward through Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez.

Tuesday’s second leg kicks off at 8pm and is live on BT Sport.

Kevin De Bruyne, Man City

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain Match Odds

City head into the second leg knowing a draw or even a 1-0 defeat will be enough to see them through but they are the 7/10 favourites to also win the return leg and progress in style, with the draw priced at 3/1 and PSG 15/4 for the win.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have no choice but to go for goals but odds of 9/5 for them to get at least the two goals they need highlight the size of the task facing them while a City clean sheet can be backed at 2/1.

Second legs of the Champions League are rarely dull at this stage of the competition. There have been at least three goals in 15 of the last 20 second legs while that was also the case in each of last season’s one-off semi-finals.

It is little wonder therefore that over 2.5 goals is a short price at 8/15 and it is worth noting that over 3.5 goals, which can be backed at 13/10, would have paid out in both second legs in the two most recent seasons to have them.

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain Head-to-Head

PSG will need to score at least two goals to have any hope of reaching the final but their two previous visits to Manchester City do not offer much encouragement in that regard.

In two trips to the blue half of Manchester they are yet to find the net, drawing 0-0 in the UEFA Cup in 2008 and losing 1-0 in the Champions League in 2016 to go out 3-2 on aggregate.

City are unbeaten in the four previous meetings and De Bruyne has been on target in the three most recent, a run which he is 9/5 to extend.

Previous XI

Man City vs PSG - 28th April 2021 - Football tactics and formations
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Foden, Mahrez.

PSG: Navas, Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Florenzi, Bakker, Verratti, Paredes, Di Maria, Gueye, Mbappe, Neymar.

Team news

Defender Eric Garcia is City’s only absentee after suffering a fever. Fellow centre-back John Stones comes back into consideration after being unavailable for Saturday’s win at Crystal Palace due to a domestic ban.

PSG will make a late decision on the fitness of Mbappe, who is a doubt with a calf problem, while Idrissa Gueye is suspended and will also miss the final if his team gets through.

Key Battles

Neymar, Marquinhos, PSG

PSG undoubtedly have the attacking talent to get the two goals they need as a minimum requirement to complete the comeback.

Neymar looked dangerous from the outset in the first leg but City right-back Kyle Walker has plenty of big-match experience and, perhaps more importantly, the pace to keep up with the Brazilian.

The French side will be desperate for Mbappe to overcome a calf injury in time to feature but City’s preferred central defence of Ruben Dias and Stones dealt well with his threat in the first leg and have been superb this season.

Gueye’s red card in Paris and subsequent suspension means the visitors must make at least one change to their line-up and De Bruyne will look to exploit any weaknesses in their midfield.

View the latest Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain odds

All odds and markets correct as of date of publication

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Author

Andrew McDermott

Andrew is a sports betting content journalist at PA Media. He is a lifelong Huddersfield Town fan but when he isn't reminiscing about their Premier League days he is also a junior cricket coach and enjoys cycling.