Manchester City hosts Sporting CP on Wednesday with such a massive lead that most agree, for Sporting CP to win on the aggregate, the Sky Blues would have to implode like no favorite has ever imploded in history. But although Sporting has almost zero shot of winning their Round of 16 Champions League aggregate, the squad from Lisbon may surprise. Will Sporting step it up even though their quarterfinals hopes have already been dashed? Or will Man City prove why they’re the chalk to win this season’s Champions League? Keep reading for Champions League odds, analysis, and a free pick for Bayern versus FC Salzburg.

Manchester City vs. Sporting 2022 Champions League Round of 16 Info

Focus on the #UCL #ManCity pic.twitter.com/LuvXY7iJa0

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 8, 2022

• When: Wednesday, March 9 at 3:00 pm ET
• Where: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
• TV: CBS
• Live Stream: Paramount+
• Soccer Odds: Manchester City (-625) / Sporting (+1595) / Draw (+806)

READ MORE: Real Madrid vs. PSG 2022 Champions League Odds & Preview (Mar. 9)

Why is Manchester City a safe bet to win?

It’s true that Guardiola’s squad has built a massive lead. But that doesn’t mean Man City won’t try and win this game in front of their fans. City has pride and this happens at Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Not only that, but the Sky Blues are loaded. Even if Pep instructs his squad to play at a slow tempo, Man City is bound to score a few goals just because they’re so talented.

Possible Line-Up

• Ederson
• Stones
• Fernandinho
• Laporte
• Zinchenko
• Silva
• Rodri
• Gundogan
• Jesus
• Grealish
• Sterling

Manchester City’s Last 5

• Win – 0-2 vs. Peterborough United
• Win – 0-1 vs. Everton
• Loss– 2-3 vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• Win – 0-5 vs. Sporting CP
• Win – 0-4 vs. Norwich City

Why is Sporting a safe bet to win?

Simply put, Man City has nothing to play for. The Sky Blues built a 5 away goals to zero lead over Sporting by dominating the Portuguese Liga squad in the first leg in Lisbon. Pep Guardiola knows how to pace his team. He won’t instruct them to go all out in this knowing that the quarterfinals are around the corner. Because Pep will have his team playing at a slow tempo, Sporting could sneak in a goal and upset mighty Manchester City.

Possible Line-Up

• Adan
• Inacio
• Coates
• Feddal
• Porro
• Ugarte
• Essugo
• Matheus
• Sarabia
• Slimani
• Santos

Sporting’s Last 5

• Win – 2-0 vs. Arouca
• Draw – 1-1 vs. Maritimo
• Win – 3-0 vs. Estoril
• Loss – 0-5 vs. Manchester City
• Win – 2-2 vs. FC Porto

Manchester City vs. Sporting Betting Prediction

Sometimes, the best we can do is choose the betting option that presents the likeliest outcome while also providing the fairest odds. In this case, the option is to back the draw. Man City can win for sure. But laying over -700 on a team to win a match in the second-leg of an aggregate with a 5 goals lead makes no sense.

It’s asking a lot for the Sky Blues to take this by 3 or more goals when the team can lose by 4 goals and still move to the quarters. Betting over or under the total is risky because we don’t know how Sporting will play this.

Knowing they have no shot of moving to the CL quarterfinals, the Protueguese Liga squad may decide to play a defensive match. So because we don’t know how either squad will play this game, the best bet is to go with the draw. A tie is the likeliest outcome with the fairest odds. Backing the draw when Sporting CP takes on Man City makes the most sense.

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