Second in the Premier League meets first in the Bundesliga as Manchester City are set to host Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.
After an impressive run of results, Manchester City now find themselves just six points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table. Crucially, City have a game in hand over the Gunners and they two sides are set to face each other at the Etihad before the conclusion of the season.
Pep Guardiola’s side cruised into the quarter-final stage of the competition as they defeated RB Leipzig in record-breaking fashion. City looked to have their work cut out for them after recording a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the tie at the Red Bull Arena.
However, in the second leg at the Etihad, the Premier League champions demolished Leipzig thanks to five goals by Erling Haaland (22’ penalty, 24, 45’, 53’, and 57’) and goals by Ilkay Gündogan (49’) and Kevin de Bruyne (90’), earning City an 8-1 victory across the two legs.
Erling Haaland’s five-goal haul earned him a place in the record books, he joined Lionel Messi as the only players to score five times in a Champions League knockout stage game, and one of only three players (along with Luiz Adriano) to score five in any Champions League match.
Having won five of their last six league games, Bayern Munich now find themselves at the summit of the Bundesliga, but they are just two points ahead of Borussia Dortmund with seven games left in their league campaign.
In the round of 16, Bayern Munich eased past Paris Saint-Germain, a side who were one of the pre-tournament favourites to lift the trophy. Bayern were able to take a one-goal away advantage from the first leg at Le Parc De Princes thanks to a second half goal from Kingsley Coman.
In the second leg at the Allianz Arena, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting swept home just after the hour mark for the hosts against his former club, with substitute Serge Gnabry adding the gloss to a professional display late on.
These sides last met each other in the 2014/15 Champions League group stages, when Pep Guardiola was still in charge of Bayern whilst Manuel Pellegrini was in charge of City. Both sides won their home fixture, with Bayern recording a 1-0 victory and City a 3-2 victory which proved vital in their progression to the round of 16.
Manchester City come into this game as odds on favourites and are currently priced @ 8/11, whilst an away win for Bayern Munich is priced @ 7/2 and a draw is @ 29/10. Erling Haaland is the favourite to score in the game @ 4/6, whilst Sadio Mane is the favourite Bayern player to score @ 3/1.
We are backing Erling Haaland and Sadio Mane both to score @ 15/2. Halland has netted 22 goals in 12 home matches in the Champions League and will be looking to continue his good goalscoring form here, whilst Sadio Mane enjoys playing against City, having scored against them 10 times during his time at Liverpool.