Match Betting (1x2)
Ruslan Malinovskyi sent Atalanta into a shock lead at the Etihad Stadium a fortnight ago, with the Serie A team full of attacking intent in the opening exchanges of their Champions League clash against a Manchester City team who are currently the outright favourites to win the competition.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side came roaring back to win the game by an emphatic 5-1 scoreline and Ladbrokes offer 1/2 that the Citizens return from Italy with the three points.
The disadvantage for Atalanta is that this match won’t be played at their spiritual home which is being renovated and they will instead turn out at the San Siro Stadium which will be a problem for them.
Ultimately, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side can already wave goodbye to the prospect of landing a spot in the top two of Group C, although there will still be hopes that they can seal third place and qualify for the Europa League.
The home side are 9/2 with Unibet to pull off a victory over their illustrious opponents and they will certainly go on the front foot and have little to lose against a side who have maximum points from three games played.
The draw would be a welcome boost for Atalanta and it’s available at 4/1 with Unibet which would be a first point for the Italian side and keep City well clear of the other teams in the group.
First Goalscorer
Pep Guardiola seems to often toss a coin and then decide whether Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus will operate in attack for Manchester City and both players are trading at 3/1 to score the opening goal.
It’s possible that Jesus has nudged slightly ahead in the pecking order despite Aguero’s formidable record for the English champions, with the Brazilian potentially getting the nod in a clash which occurs just days before a trip to Anfield.
As for the other players, Raheem Sterling is a 7/2 poke to break the deadlock and often gets more space in behind a defence when playing on the road, while Kevin de Bruyne is a danger in an attacking midfield position and we like the Belgian at 6/1.
Asian Handicap
Manchester City won this game by a four-goal margin in the reverse fixture and it should also be noted that Pep’s team won 3-0 away to Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening group game to get off to a flying start.
Unibet actually offer an attractive 3/4 about Manchester City with a -1 goal handicap and that means that you would need City to win by two goals or more to profit with this bet, although a one goal margin of victory would see you get money back.
If you want to get bigger odds, then Man City -1.5 is available at 17/14 with BetVictor, with Pep Guardiola’s side needing to enjoy a two-goal margin of victory to get over the line in this clash.
Alternatively, if you want to side with the home team for this encounter, then Atalanta can be backed with a +1.5 goal start at odds of 3/4 with BetVictor and this means that the Italian side can afford to lose by a single goal for you to profit with this wager.
Both Teams to Score
We think it’s fairly likely that both sides will find the net in this clash and that’s certainly the view of the bookies, with Ladbrokes going 4/11 that this happens.
Atalanta won’t be in the mood to play a defensive game against Manchester City like a lot of English teams do, with the visitors nearly always scoring.
Therefore, the “No” option on the BTTS market should only be considered at 23/10 with BetVictor if you think that City will keep things tight and they have kept two clean sheets in the Champions League thus far.
Over / Under Goals
We got six goals at the Etihad Stadium last time out between these sides and those expecting a similarly goal-filled affair can get Over 5.5 Goals at 19/5 with Paddy Power which means the net will need to bulge six times again.
Perhaps that represents a too ambitious bet for some punters and Over 4.5 Goals is trading at 6/4 which means five goals need to occur and we could easily see a 4-1 win or a 3-2 win for the visitors.
Alternatively, Over 3.5 Goals is a safer bet and merely requires four goals to be scored, with odds of 8/11 available that this happens.
Correct Score
A Manchester City victory by a 3-1 scoreline appears to be attractive at odds of 10/1, with some bookies going 14/1 about the 4-1 winning scoreline.
A fortnight ago, it was an emphatic 5-1 victory for the English side and BetVictor have 30/1 that history repeats itself, although we think the margin could be closer and a 3-3 draw is trading at 30/1.