Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction: Citizens to stand firm at home

After suffering a surprising defeat in the Premier League at Newcastle United on Saturday, Manchester City will look to respond when they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1).

The Citizens have been strong in Europe, winning three of their four matches to date, while the visitors have just the one victory to their name. Read on for my Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen predictions, aided by the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Man City's two biggest concerns heading into the game remain with midfielders Rodri and Mateo Kovacic, who have been sidelined with hamstring and ankle injuries respective.

The former is thought to be nearing a return to action but this game may come too soon for the Spaniard. Kovacic is expected to be out for a while with his issue, which could lead to City exploring the market in January.

Other than that, everyone else is available for selection. Pep Guardiola may see this an opportunity to rotate, so there could be opportunities for the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, John Stones, Omar Marmoush and Savinho.

Football Odds

Robert Andrich is unavailable for Leverkusen as he serves the second of his two-game ban following his red card in the 7-2 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. Edmond Tapsoba also has to serve a suspension after picking up three yellow cards.

Former Liverpool defender Jarrell Quansah should fill in for Tapsoba at centre-back as a result. Fellow defender Axel Tape is ruled out with a thigh issue.

With Andrich missing, Aleix Garcia and Ibrahim Maza are currently the only available midfield options for boss Kasper Hjulmand to select. Equi Fernandez (ligament) and Exequiel Palacios (adductor) are both sidelined through injury.

Today's Football Fixtures

Manchester City vs Bayer Leverkusen Odds

City have won their last seven home games in all competitions and they are the 1/5 favourites to win here. Three of them have gone over 3.5 goals, and combining the two markets gives you a 23/20 price, which has an implied probability of 46.5%.

Over 3.5 goals on its own is valued at 5/6.

Leverkusen have drawn two of their four outings in Europe this term and the stalemate is marketed at 11/2. The visitors are 10/1 to stun the Citizens on Tuesday night.

Match Result and Both Teams To Score - Man City & Yes @ 7/5

The weekend defeat on Tyneside was a big setback for City in the Premier League title race. They find themselves seven points behind leaders Arsenal and so there is work to be done there.

They have been having a lot of joy in the Champions League, though. The Citizens are unbeaten so far, winning three of their four fixtures. They are up against a Leverkusen side who have won just once and who have already been humiliated in that 7-2 thrashing against PSG.

This has all the makings to be a very entertaining affair, particularly as the visitors have scored 16 goals across their last six matches. BTTS - Yes seems the right way to go here because only Bayern Munich have kept Bayer Leverkusen at bay this season.

There have also been goals at both ends in three of Man City's seven home wins in all competitions this campaign. I am backing the hosts to come out on top here simply because they have been very strong at the Etihad and of course the other reason being they have Haaland up top.

First Goalscorer - Erling Haaland @ 7/4

You probably saw this selection coming from a mile away as Haaland scoring goals is just a formality at this point. The Norway international may have blanked at Newcastle over the weekend but he heads into Tuesday's clash having scored in each of his past five UCL appearances.

The striker has five in four this season as he sits joint-second in the scoring charts. His odds are not enticing enough to back him to find the net at any stage during the game, so I think the first goalscorer market might just be the smarter play.

Haaland has opened the scoring in three of City's four outings in the Champions League this season, so I reckon we will see this trend continue against Leverkusen.

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