Sporting vs Manchester City: a Handicap for the Hosts and Total Under

The first match of the last 16 of the Champions League will play the reigning champions of the Primera, and EPL - Sporting will meet with Manchester City at home. Will the Lions give battle to the favorite?

Sporting has been good lately. In 2022 Ruben Amorim's charges beat Benfica 2:1 and won the Portuguese League Cup. The previous weekend the Lions had a tough away game against Porto. Lisbon had a two-goal advantage but could not win - the game ended with a score of 2:2. Sporting is now in second place in the Primera and six points behind Porto. As for their performance in the Champions League, the team confidently qualified for the playoffs.

After a surprising 1:1 draw with Southampton, Manchester City are back to their best form. First, Pep Guardiola's wards beat Fulham 4:1 to advance to the FA Cup last 16. Next, the Citizens earned two shutouts in the English championship. Man City beat Brentford 2:0 at home and 4:0 away win over Norwich City. Manchester City is closing in on defending the EPL title.

The clubs met three times in all tournaments. In terms of victories, Lisbon is ahead - 2:1. In both wins, the Primera Division players kept their goal intact. Man City claimed a 3:2 victory at home.

• In the last four matches of Sporting in the Champions League, a bet "total over 2.5" worked out.
• Manchester City scored at least three goals in the Champions League in the previous four matches.
• Sporting has scored at least two goals in the last four Champions League matches.

Sporting is ready to play with the best squad, while Man City has losses. The experienced defender Walker will not join. Grealish is not prepared to play, though the latter can not adapt to the top club. As expected, Guardiola again will choose the scheme without the out-and-out striker. We do not know the condition of Jesus. It is not excluded that we will not see on the field.

In the playoff stage, teams try to make fewer mistakes in defense, which can be decisive in determining the winner of the pair. I expect the meeting in the Portuguese capital to be no exception. The last matches between Sporting and Manchester City have shown the high realization of chances. I prefer the option with the total under. I also propose to consider a plus handicap. Amorim is regarded as one of the most promising specialists in Europe. A good result against one of the top players in the face of Guardiola will be a serious motivation for the Lions' mentor.