Ace Football previews the Champions League match between Manchester City and Gladbach, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Manchester City aim to book a Champions League quarter-final spot for the sixth time in a row on Tuesday against Borussia Monchengladbach at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
The English side head into the return fixture of the last-16 tie off the back of a 2-0 first-leg win. Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus scored the goals to hand City a comfortable aggregate lead, and to leave Gladbach with a mountain to climb.
The Germans now face one of the most unenviable tasks in Europe. Beating Pep Guardiola’s star-studded squad is one thing, but can they do so by a two-goal margin or better? Considering their abysmal run of form, and poor record against City, a miracle is needed.
Manchester City Form & Stats
23 wins in 24 games (L1) across all competitions is about as close to perfection as it can get, right? City have scored 63 goals, conceded only 12 times, and kept 14 clean sheets in this period. They are the most in-form side in Europe.
A domestic treble is possible this season, but the ultimate aim is to win the Champions League. This is what Guardiola was hired for. The Catalan is aware, though, there are no guarantees for European success. He is yet to lead the club past the quarter-final stage and seemed anxious in the first leg against Gladbach, despite City dominating from start to finish. In fact, the Germans had just three shots and only one of them was on target.
The Citizens also have no injury concerns, leaving them with multiple options in every area. Raheem Sterling, who has scored 13 goals in all competitions, could return. His absence in the 3-0 win over Fulham was a surprise, but it will leave him refreshed and hungry to take his next chance as Pep looks to finish off Gladbach.
Key Team Stats
- Won 23 of their last 24 games in all competitions (L1).
- Won 6 of their last 7 Champions League games (D1).
- Unbeaten in 5 Champions League games against Gladbach (W4 D1) and scored at least two goals in each of their 4 wins.
- BTTS in 3 of their last 5 Premier League games.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 19 goals in 28 Champions League games under Pep Guardiola. Only Thomas Muller (20) and Lionel Messi (43) have done better.
Borussia Monchengladbach Form & Stats
The five-time German champions have fallen off the wagon since manager Marco Rose’s decision to join Borussia Dortmund in the summer was announced, having lost their last six games across all competitions.
A pitiful 3-1 defeat to Augsburg last week summed it up. Gladbach showed promise in Bavaria, held the bulk of possession, and had 67% of chances in the match. But they were wasteful in front of the goal, missed a penalty, and lost to a side that scored all of their three shots on target. Getting at least two goals against City, therefore, is a big ask.
Similar to the first leg, Gladbach probably won’t see much of the ball either. The Colts will need to work hard without it, which puts a fair bit of expectation on Florian Neuhaus. The German plays mostly as a defensive midfielder and is no stranger to bookings, having already received eight yellows in the Bundesliga – a club best.
Alassane Plea and Lars Stindl, meanwhile, could be Gladbach’s best hope of breaking the City defense.
Key Team Stats
- On a 6-match losing streak in all competitions and scored just 4 goals.
- Conceded at least 2 goals in their last 3 Champions League games.
- Never won away from home against English opposition in the Champions League (D1 L3).
- Florian Neuhaus has 9 yellow cards in all competitions (8 Bundesliga, 1 Champions League).
- Committed 96 fouls in the Champions League and received 12 yellow cards in their seven games.
- Alassane Plea has managed 3 goals and 2 assists in Gladbach’s 4 away Champions League games.
- Lars Stindl has scored 67% of his European goals away from home.
Team News
Manchester City
Out: N/A.
Doubts: N/A.
Borussia Monchengladbach
Out: N/A.
Doubts: Ramy Bensebaini, Christoph Kramer.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Champions League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in Champions League.
Betting Tips
More Odds
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