Leicester v Man City: Man City Win – 3/10
A change of pace for Manchester City on Tuesday night as they divert to the English League Cup to face Leicester.
City may not look like the same steamroller that started the season, but they’re still winning more often than not, and they should come through this quarter-final in 90 minutes.
Leicester have battled through the previous two rounds against Premier League opposition, but Pep’s Sky Blues will require them to lift their level again. Coming off a defeat at the weekend to Palace, the Foxes don’t look like a challenge to the Guardiola machine.
For their part, the visitors have not managed to score four goals or more in any of their last six games – not good enough lads – but they’ve hit Everton and Bournemouth both for three in that time, and Watford and Hoffenheim shipped two, so they’ve still got plenty of goals in them.
They should have plenty to take care of Leicester even if they ring the changes, and the price of 3/10 reflects that, but adds up in our Same Game Multi.
A goal in both halves – 1/2
A 2-0 defeat by Chelsea – their first defeat of the season – was quickly put to bed with a Champions League victory and a 3-1 defeat of Everton, even if the Toffees committed defensive hari-kari to gift City the lead.
And while City have yet to concede in the League Cup (beating Oxford 0-3 and Fulham 2-0) this is different gravy and it’s been a feature of the Cityzens’ Premier League games they do concede goals.
However, Leicester have yet to score in this competition (two penalty shoot-out wins over Wolves & Southampton) and come here off the back of two Premier League defeats, to Spurs and Crystal Palace. That kind of form won’t be good enough here.
With some re-shuffling of both teams inevitable ahead of the Festive smash-up, we fancy a couple of goals – but are not 100 per cent convinced who’ll get them.
So, we’ll settle on a goal scored in both halves at 1/2.
Sergio Aguero to score first – 11/4
The news that Man City’s star striker Sergio Aguero is back fit again will no doubt have sent a shiver right down through Leicester City’s fox hole in the lead up to Tuesday’s quarter-final tie.
Under normal circumstances, you’d expect the amazing Argentine to be rested for a tie like this. However, given that he’s been out for the last five games with a groin problem, Pep Guardiola should unleash him in this one.
Aguero never needs any extra motivation to find the net, but watching Gabriel Jesus score a brace against Everton last weekend should be a danger sign to The Foxes that he’ll be on the hunt in this one.
Leicester fans will have been trying to block out the FOUR he netted against them the last time the sides met in February, but there’s no denying Aguero will be a marked man come kick-off and that’s why we’re picking him to score first at 11/4 here.
- Bet summary: A Same Game Multi on these two best bets pays out at approximately 5/1 with Paddy Power
* All odds correct at time of posting.