How Can Manchester City Beat Barcelona in the Champions League

Can Manchester City beat Barcelona in the upcoming Round of 16 in the Champions League competition?

Manchester City are on a definite rise. Manuel Pellegrini has built a very good team, which has just gone top of the Premier League table, after Arsenal stumbled with Southampton. Man City has a great shot at the title this year as well. But are the Citizens better than another European Grand – Barcelona?

Well, that’s up to the fans to form their opinions, and up to the players to prove it on the pitch. However, bookies, both land-based and online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom, certainly don’t think so. This gives punters a great opportunity to win big placing bets on Man City in the Champions League.

Champions League draw

Is Manchester City better than Barcelona?

• The pair will meet in the upcoming Champions League Round of 16
• Punters can enjoy a wide array of betting odds at online sportsbooks in the United Kingdom
• Barca has more chances to win the competition than Man City

Manchester City face Barcelona in the next round of Champions League. Yes, it’s the knockout phase where winner takes all. There are two matches to be played, first of which will be hosted in Manchester on February 18th. The return leg comes on March 12, when the Citizens go to visit Messi and Co. on Camp Nou.

What’s most exciting about this matchup is the fact that the teams have never played before in the framework of the UEFA Champions League. Meaning anything can happen, and the bookies can be wrong, which they usually are.

Thanks to being the hosts for the first match, Manchester City are the favorites with 6/4 odds compared to 17/10 for Barcelona. But when it comes to betting for the tournament winner, it’s a completely different story. Currently, some of the online sportsbooks operating under British gambling laws are giving Manchester City pretty distant odds of 14/1 to win the Champions League altogether.

The current favorites are the reigning champions Bayern Munich, who are playing Arsenal in the next round. Then come Cristiano Ronaldo’s friends from Real Madrid at 4/1, they are meeting Schalke next. Barcelona is third with 5/1 odds. One of these teams will probably end up winning this year’s competition.

What if Manchester City beat Barcelona?

In case the Citizens go on to beat the Catalan team after two matches, their current odds of winning the Champions League will probably be more closer to 3/1, that the current 14/1. That’s why it’s advisable to favor them now in case you really believe they can make it past Barca. But seriously, would you bet against the team with Messi on it? Even if he’s not back to his full form?

Naturally, Man City do stand a chance against the mighty Catalan. They are showing outstanding football in the last months, and Pellegrini’s bench is full of great talent, not to mention the sheer length of it. Barcelona players are great at attacking, but their back line is wobbly, just remember last year’s match against Bayern.

Well there are two matches to be played between the teams, and those wishing to bet on sports in the UK, will have plenty of opportunities to wager and possibly win thanks to Man City v Barcelona fixtures.

Manchester City in UEFA competitions

Man City kicked off their UEFA career back in 1968/69 season, when they played two games in the European Champions Clubs' Cup and bowed off in the first round. However, the very next season they won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, and reached the semis in the next one as well.

The team has only been participating in the UEFA Cup from 1970/71 until 2008/09 season (not every season, naturally), but the highest they’ve climbed were the quarter-finals in 1978/79 and 2008/09. After UEFA Cup gave way to the Europa League, Man City were sent home packing in the Round of 16 in 2010/11.

In 2011/12 they’ve finally earned a place in the Champions League, but were eliminated in the group stage heading on to play in the Europa League, but failing to move past the Round of 16. Last year, Manchester City didn’t even make it out of the group in the Champions League, the Citizens lost 3 matches, and drew in the other 3, recording no wins and ending up in 4th spot in their group.

At the start of this season, however, they were rightly favored by online sportsbooks in the UK to make it out of a tough group together with holders Bayern. Man City finished second on equal points with Bayern, recording 5 wins out of 6 including a great one over Bayern at Allianz Arena.

The first match against Barcelona is only a couple of weeks away, and we’ll get a better idea about Man City’s form against Barca then. For now, check out the odds at the leading online bookies Bet365, and place your wagers.