Manchester City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season without Pep Guardiola. They will surely expect the same again with him at the helm. City currently lead Borussia Monchengladbach by 3pts going into their pivotal tie with the Germans at Borussia-Park. The odds heavily favour City despite this seemingly tough away fixture.
Poor Recent form Hampers Borussia
Borussia Monchengladbach has been in poor form of late. Recent league defeats in the Bundesliga against Hertha Berlin and more recently FC Cologne at home has left them struggling in the bottom half of the table. The Germans know that nothing short of a win against City will be good enough. That fact will surely play into City’s hands.
City, on the other hand, has just had a morale boosting league win. They have dropped valuable points recently in the league with several drawn games. The late winner that gave them a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace on Saturday was badly needed. The big plus for Guardiola from that game was the presence of Yaya Toure.
Will Toure Play on Wednesday
There is no doubt that Yaya Toure is one of the best players in the Premier League when he is fully fit and on his “A” game. If Guardiola gets a fully fit Toure back into his squad playing regularly then it will seem like signing a new player. Toure hadn’t played since August before Saturday’s game at Palace. The look on Guardiola’s face at the final whistle was that of a man that knew Toure would make a big difference to their season.
City cannot afford any slip-ups on Wednesday. They will surely want to qualify for the knockout stage before they host Celtic in the final game. There is another factor at work too. City beat Barcelona 3-1 in their previous group game. That only puts them 2pts behind the Spaniards. So they will not want to miss out on a Barcelona slip up and not claim top spot in the group.
Qualification is Key
The big goal for City though is to qualify for the knockout stages. A defeat in Germany would put that in doubt. Bet365 are quoting City at 4/5 against Borussia which seems fair. Borussia is 16/5 and the draw is 11/4. Manchester City has the players to pick the Germans apart, who must surely press for the win.
Guardiola’s team dominated the Germans in the home leg and the gulf in class was obvious. It will be a huge result for Monchengladbach to get all three points from this tie. Realistically they are probably fighting Celtic for the third place spot and a Europa League place after Christmas.
The Germans will probably secure that anyway seeing as Celtic face Barcelona and then a trip to City in their remaining fixtures. It is worth repeating, though, that the return of Yaya Toure could be the pivotal point for Manchester City this season both in the league and in Europe.
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