Success! Thank you for signing up to Independent Betting
Manchester City vs Young Boys betting tips:
- Manchester City & over 3.5 goals – Evens with BoyleSports
- Julian Alvarez to score two or more goals – 10/3 with bet365
- Rodri over 0.5 shots on target – 21/20 with Betway
Manchester City are out to maintain their flawless start to the defence of their Champions League title when they host Young Boys on Tuesday evening (TNT Sports 2, 8pm).
Pep Guardiola's men have won three out of three so far in Group G to put them top of the standings and a fourth straight win would secure them a place in the last 16.
The Citizens largely outplayed the Swiss champions when the sides met a fortnight ago, recording a comfortable 3-1 win, and stats compilers Opta rate them as having a 89.92 per cent chance of completing the double over Young Boys.
The Champions League odds back up the suggestion that the result at the Etihad Stadium is a foregone conclusion as City seek to extend their 27-game unbeaten run at home in Europe (25 wins, two draws).
Young Boys need to take something from this game though to keep alive their slim hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
The Bern-based outfit have one point from their first three games and trail second-place RB Leipzig by five points. They’ve never won a Champions League away game or won a European clash in England, and are unlikely to start on Tuesday.
Haaland absence won’t stop free-scoring City
City warmed up for their matchday four assignment by recording their biggest win of the season on Saturday – a 6-1 thrashing of Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
Jeremy Doku was the star of the show against the Cherries, scoring one and recording four assists in a game which amazingly didn’t feature a goal for Erling Haaland.
The Premier League’s topscorer had to be withdrawn at half-time due to an ankle issue and in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola said he was unsure if Haaland would feature against Young Boys.
The Norwegian could join Kevin de Bruyne on the sidelines for this contest and City have lost three of the last six games Haaland has missed.
However, they should cope without Haaland in this game having controlled the reverse fixture against Young Boys.
Although Young Boys kept the European champions scoreless in the first half at home, they were very much second best in what turned into an exercise in patience for City as they wore the Swiss down.
City had 26 attempts on goal and registered 3.97 expected goals in Bern en route to a third successive 3-1 win in this season's Champions League.
Young Boys did at least have a few moments going forward with Meschak Elia springing the offside trap to put Young Boys level as they momentarily threatened to upset UK betting sites’ pre-match expectations.
Elia’s delightful chip was one of nine shots on goal Young Boys managed against a City defence that’s conceded in 14 out of 17 fixtures across all competitions this season.
Young Boys may bump up the goal tally, but it will be a City attack that’s scored 12 goals across the last three games that will be doing most of the heavy lifting and power them to a comfortable win.
Tip: Manchester City & over 3.5 goals – Evens with BoyleSports
Alvarez ready to fill in
Haaland finished as the Champions League’s top scorer last season with 12 goals, but may have competition for that honour from within the Etihad Stadium.
Julian Alvarez is one of a handful of players to have scored three times in the Champions League this season and has seen his odds for the top scorer prize on football betting sites cut as a result.
The Argentine is set to lead the attack should Haaland miss out and the man with the highest shots on target percentage in this season’s Champions League is odds-on to add to his tally.
He’s 10/3 with bet365 to score two or more and bag the fourth brace of his City career. He's already got a Champions League brace to his name this term having scored twice in the home win over Crvena Zvezda on matchday one.
The Argentine had the ball in the back of the net against Young Boys in the reverse fixture, only for VAR to chalk off his effort, and given he’s also likely to be on penalty duty without Haaland, the potential for two or three Alvarez goals seems high.
Tip: Julian Alvarez to score two or more goals – 10/3 with bet365
Rodri ready to try his luck again
Rodri was the hero of City’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan, bagging the only goal of the game, and the Spaniard has popped up on a European scoresheet again this season.
Despite being a defensive midfielder by trade, Rodri has had plenty of opportunities to get forward for the Citizens, scoring against Crvena Zvezda and registering 2.3 shots per game in City’s previous Champions League outings.
He’s become far more than just a midfield destroyer for City, recording three goals and five assists in all competitions, despite serving a three-match domestic ban for his sending-off against Nottingham Forest.
He’s had one shot on target in each of his last three games and is happy to shot from range, which will be useful if Young Boys decide to sit deep.
Most new sports betting sites go odds-on for Rodri to hit the target on Tuesday, so Betway’s price of 21/20 helps push us towards backing the Spaniard to find his mark again.
Tip: Rodri over 0.5 shots on target – 21/20 with Betway
Manchester City vs Young Boys betting predictions:
Updated by
Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
