There aren’t many club teams that look better than Manchester City right now. The Sky Blues have dominated in the Premier League and ran through the competition during the Group Stage. They won their first five matches of the Group Stage before dropping a meaningless match to Shakhtar Donetsk at the end.
Man City was rewarded with a favorable draw and are heavy favorites to get past Swiss side FC Basel. Basel scored a big win over Manchester United in the Group Stage and finished runners up behind Manchester United in the group. This is the third time this decade they have made it to the Round of 16, but they have never made it past this point.
Don't miss the Champions League action from St. Jakob-Park at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on FS2.
Champions League Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City -263
FC Basel +705
Draw +400
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Basel are one of the biggest home underdogs that you will see at this stage in the Champions League. They played in a relatively weak group in the Group Stage and that helped them get to this point. They are in second place in the Swiss Super League heading into this one.
Meanwhile, Man City just can’t seem to lose. This club has lost just once in 26 Premier League games on the year, and are still alive in every major competition.
Key Injuries
Coming into this game, we don’t know whether or not Luca Zuffi will be able to suit up. Zuffi is the team’s best defensive midfielder and would be a sure thing to start if he was healthy. He injured his foot in early January and received surgery shortly thereafter.
As for Man City, few teams have been hit on the injury front like they have this season. The good news is that John Stones is set to return to the lineup and rejoin his mates on the back line. This has been a solid unit and getting Stones back makes them even better. However, stars like Leroy Sane and David Silva are unlikely to play due to ankle and hip injuries respectively, and Fabian Delph is unlikely to play either with a knee injury.
Recent Form
Basel have not played many games lately due to the Swiss Super League’s extended winter break. They have been on the pitch just once in almost two months, suffering a home loss at the hands of Lugano.
There was no break in the Premier League as Man City has played 13 matches since Basel played its second-to-last match. This team continues to be extremely impressive despite a number of injuries, with a road loss to Liverpool and a road draw against Burnley being the only times they didn’t grab the full three points in the last few months.
Matchup to Watch
It’s going to be exceptionally tough for Basel to shut down Manchester City’s control-based attack. Man City may be without a number of its midfielders, but Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne have a synergy with Sergio Aguero that greatly mitigates those losses.
Basel has seen nothing like this all year as Man City’s final form has been unlocked in Pep Guardiola’s second year with the club. It will be nearly impossible for them to keep a clean sheet.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Playing at home means a lot in soccer, but not as much when there is a huge gap in talent between two sides. This is just too tough of a task for Basel. The good news is they will be fresh heading into this one with so much time off, but getting a point out of Man City will be to much to ask.
Champions League Odds: Manchester City 3, FC Basel 1
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