2009/2010

Manchester City V Bayern Munich

Date & Kick-Off: Wednesday, 7 December 2011 – 19:45 GMT

Venue: Etihad Stadium

Preview

The UEFA Europa League beckons for Roberto Mancini and Manchester City following their 2-1 defeat in Naples on Match Day 5. The Citizens are now heavily reliant on others performing, more than themselves even, though they still have to beat Group A winners Bayern Munich if they’re to stand any chance of progressing into the Round of 16.

For City to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League, second placed Napoli must come unstuck in Spain away to Villarreal. An Italian victory at El Madrigal – where Mancini’s men cruised to a 3-0 victory on Match Day 4 – and the current Premier League leaders would finish third in the group, regardless of their result in Manchester with the German champions.

An uncomfortable, nervy evening awaits the Manchester City fans – the manager and players, however, will be too focused on their formidable task at hand to worry about what’s going on elsewhere, although every goal scored in Spain will be meet with varying levels of euphoria or painstaking cries inside the Etihad Stadium.

The least City can do, then, is apply some pressure, as any lead over Bayern – the team who knocked Manchester United out of the competition two seasons ago – will filter through to El Madrigal, which could unsettle the Napoli camp. The Bavarians, though, insist they won’t do their English adversaries any favours in Manchester and that they intend to finish the group phase with five wins out of six.

Nevertheless, we’re expecting changes from the visitors, who are no longer going great guns, not like they were when the two first met in Munich for their opener. It is no coincidence that Bayern have mustered only one win from their last five matches at a time when Bastien Schweinsteiger is out injured. The German midfielder pulls all the strings and without him they struggle to dominate sides – which was precisely what they did in the early part of the season.

So this is a game for the taking for Man City, who are looking to build on their weekend trouncing of Norwich at home, when winning 5-1, by securing their eight consecutive win on home soil in all competitions. During this remarkable run, City have notched 21 times, so there is a feeling their attacking prowess may prove too much for a potentially much-changed Bayern side who have been leaking goals in recent games; Manuel Neuer, the Bavarian shot-stopper who kept 12 consecutive clean sheets earlier in the campaign, has now gone six without keeping one.

The club have exceeded the billion-pound marker in terms of investment for nights just like this, but will they see any return? Money can’t help them now; it’s all about character and how much they want it, as well as plenty of good fortune, as remember, City’s fate no longer rests in their own hands.

Match Pointers

- Manchester City are unbeaten in 14 at home in Europe, drawing 1-1 with Napoli and recording a 2-1 win over Villarreal in their two group games at home in this season’s Champions League.

- The Citizens have won their last seven matches at home in succession, scoring 21 goals in the process.

- It has been almost a year since Manchester City were last beaten on home soil, on 20 December 2010 to Everton; they’re unbeaten in 26 home games since, winning 24.

- Bayern Munich have won just one of their last five away matches in all competitions (W1 D2 L2).

- The Bavarians have six wins from their last eight away matches in the Champions League (W6 D1 L1).

- On their last visits to Manchester, Bayern eliminated City’s arch rivals United at the quarter-final stage; their 3-2 loss at Old Trafford meant they qualified via away goals with the tie ending 4-4 on aggregate.

- In fourteen trips to England, Bayern Munich have won only twice (W2 D7 L5).

Betting

I don’t think there is any chance of Manchester City suffering their first loss at home for twelve months. In fact, I’d be surprised if they didn’t record a win over a Bayern Munich side whom while they may already be through as section winners, could be much-changed from the side which beat City 2-0 in Munich and are going through a difficult period right now with regards to form and the expensive loss of midfield linchpin Schweinsteiger.

At home, City haven’t merely been consistent with regards to winning matches, they’ve scored goals for the sheer hell of it at times. At the weekend alone they plundered five, making it 11 in their last three matches at the Etihad Stadium, and I very much expect City to outscore their German visitors; the craft and vision of David Silva and Sergio Aguero will be too much for a Bayern defence which shipped three away to Mainz (a team struggling at the foot of the Bundesliga standings) in their most recent away assignment.

Unfortunately, though, victory isn’t enough on its own to send Roberto Mancini’s lavishly assembled squad of superstars through to the knockouts. Nevertheless, I expect them to at least uphold their end of the bargain. Now all they require is Villarreal picking up their first points of the campaign at home to Napoli.

Prediction: Manchester City to WIN – 4/6 888Sport

Value Bet: Sergio Aguero First Goalscorer – 11/2 BetFred

Match Odds

Manchester City – 4/6 888Sport

Draw – 16/5 bWin

Bayern Munich – 5/1 VictorChandler

Manchester United

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Stadium: Old Trafford
2008/2009 Finish: Champions!

Premiership Outright: 2/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 5000/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia, Gabriel Obertan

Transfers Out:
Manucho, Richard Eckersley, Fraizer Campbell, Lee Martin, Rodrigo Possebon, Christiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez

Key Player – Wayne Rooney
United have lost a huge player in Ronaldo but still posses arguably England’s finest talent in Wayne Rooney. The kid literally has it all. An abundance of pace, bundles of strength and he can also chip in with a fair amount of goals as well. Speaking on the topic of goals, Rooney will be under a lot of pressure to make up for the loss of Ronaldo and he will certainly thrive on the pressure asserted on him throughout the course of the coming season. Rooney will have more freedom to play the way he wants and he will now be the main man at United this season.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Manchester United aren’t nine time Premiership champions for nothing. They have obvious Premiership credentials and it comes as no surprise that they are amongst the favourites to win the crown for a fourth successive year. The loss of Ronaldo now means United are without a winger who can score 25 odd goals a season. They’ve brought in Valencia and Owen in a bid to bolster their forward options but there are obvious doubts over United’s chances without the world’s current greatest player in Christiano Ronaldo. Nevertheless, Manchester United will certainly be thereabouts come the very end.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 2nd Position

Chelsea

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
2008/2009 Finish: 3rd Position

Premiership Outright: 2/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 2500/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge, Ross Turnbull

Transfers Out:
Scott Sinclair, Franco Di Santo, Ben Sahar

Key Player – Frank Lampard
Mr Lampard is known as Mr consistent amongst both his team mates and his rivals. Not often do you see a player deliver phenomenal displays on a consistent basis but that’s what Frank Lampard brings to the fort at Chelsea. Despite spending his days in midfield, Lampard has scored no less then 83 goals for Chelsea and with the World Cup in South Africa over the horizon, Frank Lampard will be eager to impress and bolster his tally for the forthcoming season.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Chelsea undoubtedly have one of the strongest teams in the Premiership and their relatively short outright price tag comes as no surprise. By their very own high standards, Chelsea endured a poor season last year after finishing in 3rd but that could be the reality check they needed. It’s been three years since Chelsea last lifted the Premiership crown and they will be fired up under new management to end their mini baron run. Will they do it in Ancelotti’s first year in charge? We don’t see it unfortunately but they’ll nevertheless go close.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 3rd Position

Liverpool

Manager: Rafael Benitez
Stadium: Anfield
2008/2009 Finish: 2nd Position

Premiership Outright: 3/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 2500/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Alberto Aquilani, Glen Johnson

Transfers Out:
Jermaine Pennant, Ryan Flynn, Sebastian Leto, Sami Hyypia, Jack Hobbs, Paul Anderson, Xabi Alonso

Key Player – Steven Gerrard
It’s hardly surprising that Liverpool’s most influential player is their club captain; Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool born legend is a born winner and that shows in his efforts on the pitch. He puts his heart into every game for Liverpool and can win a game all by himself at times. Pin-point passing, Inspirational leader and one heck-of-a shot makes for one special player. Steven Gerrard scored 24 goals in 41 games for Liverpool last season and he could of scored a bucket load more were it not for a few niggling injuries. If he stays away from the treatment room this season then he will undoubtedly be, once again, one of the players of the forthcoming Premiership season.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Liverpool are already being touted as possible title contenders and it’s hard to write them off despite their lack of league titles in recent Premiership history. The departure of Xabi Alonso will be hard felt but they’ve brought in Alberto Aquilani to fill the void and will once again be big players. However, like every side, Liverpool will need to keep their best players fit. Fernando Torres spent too much time on the treatment table last season and with Rafael Benitez yet to strengthen his forward options, Liverpool will be left very exposed were Torres to suffer another injury blow. Liverpool’s starting eleven can beat anyone on their day but there’s still doubts over their strength in depth.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 1st Position

Arsenal

Manager: Arsene Wenger
Stadium: The Emirates
2008/2009 Finish: 4th Position

Premiership Outright: 17/2 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 1000/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Thomas Vermaelen

Transfers Out:
Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor

Key Player – Andrei Arshavin
The sneaky Russian made an instant impact with the Arsenal fans last season after a blistering end to the season which seen him score six goals in just 12 appearances for ‘The Gunners’. His highlight was undoubtedly the four goals against Liverpool at Anfield and manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping Arshavin can emulate his performance at the latter end of last season and produce many more memorable displays for the forthcoming 2009/2010 campaign.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Arsene Wenger has been reluctant to go shopping in the summer, surprise – surprise. His stubbornness could be Arsenal’s downfall though this season with other clubs now catching the former Premiership champions up in terms of quality within their squads. Arsenal have not only lost a host of key players over the summer but they’ve yet to fill their voids. Injuries to Samir Nasri and Thomas Rosicky have only hindered Arsenal’s preparations in what could be another frustrating season for Arsenal fans.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 4th Position

Everton

Manager: David Moyes
Stadium: Goodison Park
2008/2009 Finish: 5th Position

Premiership Outright: 200/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 66/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Anton Peterlin, Jo

Transfers Out:
John Ruddy, Lars Jacobsen, Nuno Valente, Andy van der Meyde

Key Player – Tim Cahill
The small Australian has made a right name for himself throughout his time in the Premiership, mainly for being a complete and utter nuisance in the oppositions penalty area. Despite his apparent lack of height, Tim Cahill is prolific from set pieces and will often leave his marker trailing in his wake. However, there is more to his game then just heading. Cahill has a fabulous touch and has a fantastic knack of getting into the right place at the perfect time. Tim Cahill scored 9 goals in 39 appearances last season and barring a few injuries, he will be in for another glittering season.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Everton have become an extremely tough side to play against under David Moyes. ‘The Scot’ has built up an immense defence from next to nothing and reinforced it with Tim Howard in goal. Their forward options have been given a boost with the loan of Brazilian Jo from Man City while Tim Cahill will be an ever present threat for ‘the toffees’ this season. They do have a few injuries to key players to contend with, especially Mikel Arteta, and David Moyes will hoping he gets the rub of the green this season in terms of his players avoiding the treatment room.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 5th Position

Manchester City

Manager: Mark Hughes
Stadium: The City of Manchester Stadium
2008/2009 Finish: 10th Position

Premiership Outright: 10/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 100/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Gareth Barry, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz, Stuart Taylor

Transfers Out:
Daniel Sturridge, Jo, Elano, Valeri Bojinov, Ched Evans, Felipe Caicedo, Gelson Fernandes, Joe Hart, Darius Vassell

Key Player – Robinho
Despite all their big money signings over the summer it’s still their most expensive player ever who leads the way in terms of quality. Robinho is arguably one of the world greatest wingers, if only he shown us his true quality on a regular basis. The Brazilian samba often makes an appearance when Robinho is on show although his best stuff tends to come on home soil. Robinho failed to assert himself in City’s away games last season but he should be more settled after spending a full year in England and we expect the former Real Madrid star to come on leaps and bounds for City this year.

SoccerBetting Opinion – It’s no secret that Man City and mark Hughes have spent big during the summer. However, a cliché which often gets thrown about is ‘money doesn’t always buy you success’ and that will be the case this season. In our opinion, City have spent over the odds on their signings and now have too many strikers compared to last season where they had too few. Their forward line maybe full to the brim with talent but their defence still looks edgy and they will need to bolster their defensive options before they can be touted as possible ‘top four’ contenders let alone title challengers.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 6th Position

Aston Villa

Manager: Martin O’Neill
Stadium: Villa Park
2008/2009 Finish: 6th Position

Premiership Outright: 200/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 66/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Fabian Delph, Stewart Downing

Transfers Out:
Zat Knight, Gareth Barry, Stuart Taylor

Key Player – Ashley Young
Last seasons Young Play of the Year will be aiming to continue where he left off after enjoying his best season in the Premiership in his very young career. He scored seven goals in 36 appearances in a Villa shirt although he did start to fade away come the very end of the season. He started brightly and help guide Villa into fourth place contention at one stage. He has bags of pace and will scare the living daylights out of all full-backs this year. He notched up 9 assists last year and will be aiming to hit double figures for Villa this season.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Martin O’Neill is building a team of stars for the future it would seem with Ashley Young, James Milner & Gabriel Agbonlahor all plying their trade for the England U21′s. Villa do lack a bit of experience but their young starlets are beginning to mature and we expect Aston Villa to be a nuisance once again this term. However, Villa may have a starting eleven capable of competing against the best sides in the league but they lack the strength in depth required to really challenge the bigger clubs. Any injuries to their big players would be a huge concern.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 7th Position

Tottenham Hotspur

Manager: Harry Redknapp
Stadium: White Hart Lane
2008/2009 Finish: 8th Position

Premiership Outright: 100/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 66/1 Bet365

Transfers In:
Sebastien Bassong, Peter Crouch, Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker

Transfers Out:
Darren Bent, Ben Alnwick, Gilberto, Chris Gunter, Didier Zokora

Key Player – Robbie Keane
After a dream move to Liverpool turned into a nightmare, Robbie Keane booked a return ticket back home where Tottenham fans are now delighted to see their golden son back on Spurs soil. Keane has regained the captains armband and will not only look to lead from the front but also rocket his side into the top half of the table. Keane has no less than 85 goals in 211 games for Tottenham, which is a hefty tally by anyone’s standards. He has played his best football in a Spurs shirt and we fully expect the Republic of Ireland international to return to his old goalscoring ways back at a familiar hunting ground.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Harry Redknapp has been wheeling and dealing over the summer but we don’t think he’s made the right purchases. He already boasted a pretty impressive attack so the purchase of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth was a tad bizarre. However, he should be a success back under Redknapp’s management. Our biggest concern with Tottenham is their defence. Woodgate can be world-class at times but he’s just like Ledley King – Bags of talent and experience but way too injury prone. Bassong has arrived from a Newcastle side that leaked goals like a sieve last season so his credentials are hardly a confidence boost. A mediocre defence means Spurs will have another ‘OK’ season but their fans will end up disappointed once more.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 8th Position

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manager: Mick McCarthy
Stadium: The Molineux
2008/2009 Finish: Championship Winners!

Premiership Outright: 5000/1 Bet365
Relegation Odds: 11/8 Bet365

Transfers In:
Ronald Zubar, Greg Halford, Nenad Milijas, Marcus Hahnemann, Andrew Surman, Kevin Doyle

Transfers Out:
Lewis Gobern, Darren Potter

Key Player – Sylvain Ebanks-Blake
The former Manchester United trainee has been a revelation at Wolves since he signed from Plymouth Argyle back in 2008. He scored 25 goals in all competitions last season and finished as the clubs top goalscorer. Ebanks-Blake has a unique knack of getting his body in the right positions to prod home from just inside the oppositions box but that’s not all he’s about. He is physically very fit and his strength makes him a tough individual to disposes. He’s also a sweet finisher in the final third and will more then likely finish this season as the clubs top goalscorer once again.

SoccerBetting Opinion – Wolves don’t boast the best of squads on paper and, unless they can spring a handful of shocks this season, will more then likely spend their time in the Premiership gasping for safe air. We can’t see Wolves scoring enough goals while their defence looks extremely vulnerable. Mick McCarthy needed to strengthen all areas of his squad but we aren’t satisfied with his summer signings. A tough season looms ahead for Wolves.

SoccerBetting Prediction: 19th Position