Swiss champions Basel take on Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16 next week, with the hosts looking to give themselves a chance of making the next stage of the competition with a positive result. However, Pep Guardiola’s side are running away with the Premier League and will provide a stern test throughout the 90 minutes in Switzerland.
Champions League – Basel v Manchester City, St. Jakob Park, Basel – Tuesday 13th February – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 4 at Ladbrokes |
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FC Basel
Manchester CityMatch Preview
Basel and Manchester City will go head-to-head at St. Jakob Park next week, with both clubs looking to record a positive result in the first leg of their Champions League clash. The hosts have already defeated Manchester United this season, with Basel now looking to make it two wins from two against their Premier League opponents. Managers Raphaël Wicky and Pep Guardiola will be hoping to gain a tactical advantage for their teams ahead of kick-off, with the first leg potentially going a long way to deciding who makes it through to the quarter finals. For those still unsure of who to back ahead of kick-off, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the hosts.
Basel Team News & Form
Basel suffered a home defeat to Lugano in the Swiss top-flight last time around, leaving them five points away from the top of the standings. Despite losing twice in Group A, Basel qualified for the knockout phase of the competition, conceding just five goals in the process. The likes of Albian Ajeti, Dimitri Oberlin and Luca Zuffi are among the biggest attacking threats for the hosts, while Captain Marek Suchy is likely to be tasked with keeping Sergio Aguero quiet.
Manchester City Team News & Form
Manchester City already have one hand on the Premier League trophy as a result of their performances in England so far this season, while Pep Guardiola’s side have also largely impressed in Europe too. England international scored four goals during their group stage campaign, helping them to five wins from six matches. New signing Aymeric Laporte could well line up in the Champions League for the first time, however the likes of Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus are unlikely to play due to injury. City scored 14 and conceded just five goals in finishing top of Group F.
Head to Head
The two teams are yet to meet in a competitive fixture, meaning that no conclusions can be made when it comes to their head-to-head record.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite being the home side for this clash, it is Basel who are the underdogs for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The Swiss side can be backed at odds of 17/2 with PaddyPower, while Unibet has Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at a price of 7/19. Elsewhere, Sergio Aguero is 5/1 to open the scoring in Switzerland.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on there being under 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes next week, which can be found at odds of 27/20 with Ladbrokes.