Free football betting tips: Preview of second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Bristol City and Manchester City
Nick Hext is sticking with the same approach for the second leg of Bristol City's Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
Bristol City v Manchester City recommended bets
2pts Manchester City to beat Bristol City and both teams to score at 39/20
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Bristol City v Manchester City, aggregate: 1-2 (1945 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event)
It's a bit boring but I see no reason to deviate from my approach to the first leg of Manchester City's Carabao Cup semi-final against Bristol City.
It wasn't the full Aguerooooooooo but it needed an injury-time winner from Sergio Aguero to secure a 2-1 victory in the first leg for Pep Guardiola's heavyweights and it will be tough again in the return game at Ashton Gate.
I went for City to win and both teams to score at close to 2/1 for the Etihad encounter and it all points to the same again on Tuesday night.
The Premier League leaders have claimed their last four victories without keeping a clean sheet and 14 of their previous 20 successes in all competitions have seen the opposition also find the back of the net.
Liverpool have ended their unbeaten start to the domestic season since the first leg but Guardiola's men are still on track for a stellar campaign so there is no reason for even a hint of panic.
Aguero netted a hat-trick in Saturday evening's 3-1 win at home to Newcastle and it's the attacking stars available to City that make a comeback a mountainous task for Bristol City.
The Robins have hit a rough run of form in the last month.
Lee Johnson's side ended a five-match losing run with Friday night's 0-0 draw at Derby but they remain in the Sky Bet Championship promotion mix.
Bristol City’s performance in the 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium is their most impressive recent showing and the chances were there to score more than Bobby Reid's penalty just before the break.
The Robins’ attacking approach is proved by netting two or more goals in the Carabao Cup victories over Manchester United, Crystal Palace, Stoke and Watford this season.
The capability is there to push Man City but class will show again so stick with the punting approach from a couple of weeks ago.
Prediction: Bristol City 1-3 Manchester City (Sky Bet's odds: 10/1)
Posted at 1140 GMT on 22/01/18.
Opta statistics
- Bristol City have won just once in their last eight games against Manchester City in all competitions (D2 L5), losing each of the last three.
- Manchester City haven’t lost away to Bristol City since November 1979, losing 0-1 courtesy of a goal from David Rodgers. They won on their last visit to Ashton Gate in the League Cup second round in August 2007 (2-1).
- Manchester City have progressed from two of their previous three League Cup semi-finals in which they’ve won the first leg, the exception being against Manchester United in 2009-10.
- The last time a Championship side overturned a semi-final first leg deficit against a Premier League club in the competition was in 2000-01 – Birmingham lost the first leg 1-0 to Ipswich, before winning the return 4-1 at home.
- Indeed, the Robins have never won a League Cup semi-final match, drawing two and losing three – all against top-flight opposition.
- The last second tier team to reach the final of the competition were Cardiff City in 2011-12, who eventually lost on penalties against Liverpool.
- Manchester City have won 12 and lost none of their last 14 League Cup matches against second tier opposition as a top-flight team since losing 2-1 to Nottingham Forest in December 1993.
- Bristol City have eliminated four top-flight clubs so far in this year’s competition – the only other lower league side to knock out that many were Sheffield Wednesday in 1990-91, who that year were the last non top-flight side to lift the trophy.