As if Manchester City needed anything else to break its way this year!
The Citizens could have drawn against either Chelsea or Arsenal in the last four of the EFL Cup. Instead, they've got the only non-EPL side left in the tournament, Bristol City.
The first match of this home-and-home duel will take place at the Etihad on Tuesday night, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping to effectively put down the Championship side without bothering with the return leg in two weeks.
Don't miss the EFL Cup action from Etihad Stadium at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. Catch every moment of the match live on ESPN2.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City -800
Bristol City +1700
Draw +725
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
Bristol City hasn't been a top-flight team in England in quite some time, and it has already made a run like it has never had in its history in the EFL Cup. This tournament might not mean much to the rest of the big boys left contending for it, but for Bristol City, this is history. The Robins have only been to the semifinals of major cups three times, reaching the FA Cup final in 1909 and the League Cup semifinal in 1971 and 1989. An upset would arguably be the biggest day in the history of the club.
However, the chances of that happening are slim at best. The Robins are 17 to 1 longshots to snare a win at the Etihad, and even that wouldn't necessarily be enough with a return leg in Bristol to come in a couple weeks.
Manchester City is a -800 favorite to win this match, and it is largely expected to win by multiple goals. If so, Guardiola will be able to clearly take it easy in the return leg and let a junior side see this one out instead of having to waste any of his regulars in what should be a useless fixture.
The total is high here at 3.5, but it has to be with the Citizens tabbed to score three times themselves.
How They Got Here
Manchester City has actually had a relatively tough road to get to the EFL Cup semifinals, and it probably deserved a bit of luck in this draw. The team had to play away to West Brom in its first match, winning 2-1 on the back of a Sadio Mane brace. It then needed penalties to dispose of both Wolverhampton and Leicester City.
Bristol City has taken a long and winding path to the semifinals. The team had to start in the first round of play, where it beat Plymouth Argyle 5-0. From there, City took care of four straight Premier League teams. Some help came in the form of the draw constantly putting them at home, but the Robins had to work hard to dispose of Watford, Stoke City, Crystal Palace and, most notably, Manchester United in the quarterfinals.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Normally, teams either go for it or don't go for it out of the Premier League in the EFL Cup. Certainly, they don't decide to try to hoist this silverware less in the latter stages than in the early stages.
Guardiola played a darn good side against Wolverhampton in the fourth round, one that was complete with the likes of Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. It wasn't quite a full team, but it was one that could have played in an EPL Saturday.
Then against Leicester City, all of those stars were left on the bench. Credit to City for using its B-side and still advancing, but even when that match went into extra time, the big guns were left on the bench.
This great run, though, is going to leave Bristol City full of confidence. Korey Smith's stoppage time goal to beat Manchester United was one of the biggest moments in the club's history. The Robins looked the part of being able to contend with the EFL Cup holders. Winning at Manchester City is going to be too tough of a task, but we fancy Bristol City to still be in this coming back home in two weeks.
EFL Cup Odds: Manchester City 1, Bristol City 0
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