Pep Guardiola was goaded by the Anfield crowd with unfamiliar chants of “sacked in the morning”, and the problems keep piling up for City.
The Citizens have failed to win any of their last seven competitive matches, suffering six losses. The poor run of form has seen them go from title favourites to 10.00 outsiders with several bookmakers. City’s woes also give bettors an opportunity to take advantage of the handicap market.
Market | Odds |
|---|---|
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest - Nottingham Forest +2 Handicap | |
Crystal Palace vs Manchester City - Crystal Palace +2 Handicap |
Odds courtesy of BetWinner. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
City Issues Run Deeper Than Rodri
Rodri is a key figure for Manchester City and his injury has certainly been a major contributing factor to their woes. The Ballon d’Or winner damaged his knee ligament earlier in the campaign and won’t return until next season. Pep Guardiola’s side’s win run drops by 20% without the Spaniard in the starting 11.
City are now 5th in the Premier League, 11 points behind Liverpool. A fifth consecutive title appears very unlikely at this stage, but Pep’s immediate focus will be to get back to winning ways.
The 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in the Champions League is the only time that City have managed to avoid defeat since the start of November. Pep’s team threw away a three-goal lead in that clash. The lack of composure and panic in the dying moments indicated there are big problems in the City camp, which were further evident when they failed to lay a glove on Liverpool at Anfield.
A Long Wait for Convincing Premier League Win
With City struggling, punters have the opportunity to take advantage in the handicap market. The champions may have only lost their last four games, but it’s been a while since Pep’s team recorded a comfortable victory in the Premier League.
Manchester City haven’t exceeded the standard handicap line set by the bookmakers in the league since their 3-1 win over West Ham on 31st August when the line was set at -1.5.
Since the win at the London Stadium, City have played 10 league matches, winning just four. Over that period, they managed to score an average of 1.3 goals per game and conceded 1.7. Each of their four victories has been by a margin of just one goal. The standard Asian handicap line for those matches are as follows:
-1.75 vs Brentford. Result 2-1
-0.5 vs Arsenal. Result 2-2
-1 vs Newcastle. Result 1-1
-1.5 vs Fulham. Result 3-2
-1.5 vs Wolves. Result 2-1
-2.5 vs Southampton. Result 1-0
-1.25 vs Bournemouth. Result 1-2
-0.75 vs Brighton. Result 1-2
-1.25 vs Tottenham. Result 0-4
+0.5 vs Liverpool. Result 0-2
Nottingham Forest are up next for City. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are 6th in table and are capable of causing an upset at the Etihad. They have suffered just one defeat on the road this season and already have an impressive away win at Anfield. The handicap is set at +2 for the visitors, which is an enticing bet given City’s form.
Pep Guardiola’s team will square off against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park at the weekend. The Eagles have been in strong form, losing just one of their last six competitive matches. They also boast a decent record against Manchester City. Palace have picked up five points from their last six league games against City, a record comparable to that of many teams consistently found in the bottom half of the Premier League.