Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Football betting tips: Champions League
0.5pts Rico Lewis to score anytime at 16/1 (Sky Bet)
0.5pts Rico Lewis 1+ assist at 17/2 (Betfair, Paddy Power)
BuildABet @ 100/1
- Both teams to score
- Rico Lewis anytime goalscorer
- Rico Lewis 1+ assist
Manchester City head to Sporting on Tuesday looking to avoid a third straight defeat.
Tottenham knocked City out of the Carabao Cup last week then Bournemouth beat them in the Premier League at the weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s side are struggling, well struggling by Pep’s standards, and central to this is the absence of Rodri.
Although yet to concede in the Champions League, City have kept only two clean sheets domestically on the road this season, one in their first game at Stamford Bridge and the other at struggling Southampton. They have lost their last two away games and needed a late goal to win at Wolves after drawing at Newcastle.
This is part of the reason Sporting may be worth a go in the 1X2.
The hosts extended their unbeaten run to 15 games, winning 14, with a 5-1 win over Estrela da Amadora on Friday. Crucially though, this will be their final home match before Ruben Amorim leaves for Manchester United.
Above all, goals should be expected.
What are the best bets?
Per Opta, RICO LEWIS has the highest xG involvement from open play of any player in the Champions League this season (5.2).
Guardiola described him as "undroppable" ahead of the weekend trip to Bournemouth, then dropped him for the defeat. Classic Pep. It should mean the academy graduate returns to the starting line-up in Lisbon and based on his underlying numbers, his prices to have a hand in a goal appeal.
In 270 minutes of European action, on paper Lewis has only chipped in with one assist but has notched up the following:
- Shots: 3
- xG: 0.42
- Assists: 1
- xA: 1.82
It means he is posting an xG+xA per 90 of 0.75 in the Champions League which would suggest more goal involvements are to come.
The 19-year-old has played every minute in the competition this term and both the 16/1 about him TO SCORE ANYTIME and 17/2 for 1+ ASSIST are worth a punt.
- CLICK HERE to back Rico Lewis anytime goalscorer with Sky Bet
- CLICK HERE to back Rico Lewis 1+ assist with Sky Bet
It is also worth noting, it is better to split the stakes across both these markets on this occasion than back him to score or assist at 9/2.
If you wanted the exact Dutching calculation, putting 0.64pts on the assist and 0.36pts on the goal guarantees a higher return then backing him to score or assist with the added bonus of a big payout if he does both.
Team news
Viktor Gyokeres will spearhead the hosts' attack, the Swede netted four times in his side's 5-1 win over Estrela at the weekend.
The former Coventry man has netted in all four home starts in the Champions League this term and should be supported by Pote and Trincao in attack.
Manchester City will be without Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Jack Grealish due to injuries. John Stones and Ruben Dias will also miss the trip to Portugal which should see Nathan Ake partner Manuel Akanji at the heart of defence.
After a poor display at the weekend Kyle Walker should be replaced by Lewis in defence and although Kevin De Bruyne did not make it off the bench at Bournemouth, he could start.
Predicted line-ups
Sporting: Israel; Debast, Diomande, Inacio; Quenda, Braganca, Hjulmand, Araujo; Pote, Gyokeres, Trincao
Man City: Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Kovacic; Silva, De Bruyne, Doku; Haaland
Match facts
- Sporting CP won their first European meeting with Man City in March 2012 in the UEFA Europa League, but are winless in their last three against them (D1 L2).
- Manchester City have lost just one of their 10 major European matches against Portuguese opposition (W6 D3), although it was against Sporting in March 2012. In those 10 games, City have kept six clean sheets, including one in each of their last three.
- Manchester City have only lost one of their previous five away trips to face Portuguese opponents in European competition (W2 D2), and are unbeaten there in UEFA Champions League matches: 0-0 v FC Porto in December 2020 and 5-0 v Sporting CP in February 2022.
- After losing each of their first five matches against English sides in the UEFA Champions League, Sporting CP have gone unbeaten in each of the last three (W1 D2). Indeed, they won their last home match in the competition against an English opponent, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in September 2022.
- Sporting CP are unbeaten in the UEFA Champions League this season, winning twice and drawing one. If they can avoid defeat here, they will equal their longest ever unbeaten run in the European Cup/Champions League (four games between September 1982-March 1983).
- In their win over Sparta Prague last time out, Manchester City set a new record for unbeaten games in the history of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, going 26 without defeat (W18 D8). The last team to beat them in the competition were Real Madrid back in May 2022 (3-1).
- Viktor Gyökeres has been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 appearances for Sporting CP in European competition (seven goals, three assists), while scoring in all four of his European starts at the Estádio José Alvalade (four goals).
- Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the UEFA Champions League (44 goals, five assists). If he scores or assists here, the Norwegian will become the fastest player to 50 combined goals and assists in the competition’s history (43), overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy for fewest appearances to do so (45).
- 17-year-old Geovany Quenda has featured in all three of Sporting CP’s games in the UEFA Champions League this season. The only Portuguese player to make more appearances while aged under-18 in a single season in the competition is Rúben Neves, who played five times for FC Porto in 2014-15 (also aged 17).
- Manchester City’s Rico Lewis is the player with the highest xG sequence involvement from open play in the UEFA Champions League this season (5.2), with the player second on the list being teammate Erling Haaland (4.35).
Odds correct at 1000 GMT (04/11/24)
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