Man City Looks To Close Out Champions League Playoff With Victory
Published on August 23rd, 2016 2:24 pm ESTMan City coach Pep Guardiola is warning his players against getting complacent as his team gets set to host Steaua Bucharest at home later this week.
It's easy to see how Man City's players could get complacent, as they destroyed Steaua 5-0 on the road in the first leg of the playoff match. Given how well Man City has started this year, Steaua Bucharest would likely need some sort of divine intervention to have a chance of crawling back into this match. Pep Guardiola, for his part, has warned his players that complacency can lead to bad habits in future matches.
According to the oddsmakers, Man City is listed at 1/5 to win on Wednesday, while Steaua Bucharest is 18-1 to win. The chance of a draw is 6/1.
Winning on the road against one of the world's top teams is improbable enough for Steaua Bucharest - they also need to score at least five road goals, which makes their task nearly impossible.
How impossible? According to Skybet, Man City is currently 1/10000 to qualify for the Champions League tournament, while Steaua Bucharest is listed at 50/1. In short - there is a better chance of me walking to the moon.
Be careful with props involving goal scorers on Wednesday, as players like Sergio Aguero and Kelechi Ileanacho will likely see minimal use. Even when they are on the field, they will likely be switching their play down a gear to avoid any potential injuries. The English Premier League and Champions League are both going to be dog fights this year, so Man City doesn't want to see any of their top players get injured in a game that they have practically no chance of losing.
For Steaua Bucharest, on the other hand, their pride will be on the line in Wednesday's match, and they will want to keep the score close against one of the top sides in the world.
