Kick-off: 2000, 14/03/2023
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
TV: BT Sport
Manchester City will be a little wary of RB Leipzig but should be strong enough to book a place in the last eight of the Champions League.
The Blues have been tested a couple of times in Germany, but prevailed 6-3 when these teams met at Etihad Stadium during last season’s group stage.
RBL will give it a go again but 9/5 for a home win and both teams to score is our initial Man City vs RB Leipzig prediction.
Pep relishing trophy-hunt pressure
City will be confident of getting the job done on home turf after returning from Leipzig on level terms following a 1-1 draw.
The Blues are unbeaten at this venue in Europe’s elite club competition since September 2018, winning 21 of 23 games since Lyon prevailed 2-1 here.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half at Red Bull Arena, despite having Kevin De Bruyne ruled out through illness.
Riyad Mahrez gave them a deserved lead when firing past Janis Blaswich from the edge of the area on 26 minutes.
RBL did produce a spirited fightback after the break, though, and Josko Gvardiol climbed highest to head in a cross from Marcel Halstenberg.
Benjamin Henrichs had missed a great chance for the Red Bulls, while Blaswich saved well from Ilkay Gundogan at the other end.
City have since secured a trio of Premier League wins, as well as cruising through in the FA Cup, and Guardiola is relishing the challenge of chasing more silverware.
The Spaniard said: “If you don’t feel the pressure, you will be in the bar drinking something, so the pressure you have to live, you have to cope to handle it.
“The pressure, if you lose you lose the Premier League, if you lose on Tuesday you lose the Champions League, if you lose on Saturday you lose the FA Cup.
“But that is good. That drives you to give your best. It’s nice, you have to feel it.”
Looking at the Man City vs RB Leipzig odds, we like 31/10 for a home win by exactly two goals.
Red Bulls can never be ruled out
Leipzig will look back on the first leg with mixed emotions, as they try to upset the odds in Manchester, where they are 19/5 to progress.
Head coach Marco Rose recalled: “Two very, very different halves. It just didn’t happen in the first half; we just chased the ball and we were very bad when we had it.
“The second was quite different; we were better with the ball, won it back better and played how we had wanted to play.”
Introducing wing-back Henrichs at the interval certainly gave RBL more of an attacking threat.
They will also hope Christopher Nkunku can play more of a prominent role, as he had only just returned from injury ahead of a late cameo in the opening encounter.
The 25-year-old France forward missed out on featuring at the World Cup but City will remember the hat-trick he scored here last term.
Leipzig showed they can’t be dismissed when recovering from losing their first two group games to rattle off four straight wins, including a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid.
They are third in the Bundesliga after Saturday’s 3-0 drubbing of Borussia Monchengladbach, but had previously lost 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund and their overall away record is moderate.
We like 11/5 for both teams to score in the second half, while 19/2 for a 3-1 home win completes our Man City vs RB Leipzig betting tips.
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