The much anticipated second group game between these two is almost upon us and fans/punters should be in for an exciting watch.
Many people will probably expect a bit more from the hosts and will also feel that things won’t go so wrong this time around. In truth, they probably won’t and the home team are expected to acquit themselves better; however, from a betting point of view, it’s definitely worth siding with Barcelona, at least in some capacity.
At odds of 10/11, ‘Barcelona to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ , is simply too good to miss. It’s rare to get such a price on Barcelona to score at least three goals let alone two, so, considering we’re talking about a side who boast such glaringly obvious goal-scoring prowess, this really is a must back selection.
The Catalonia side have scored a total of 13 goals in the Champions League so far, scoring at least twice in all three of their matches. With the creativity and attacking quality at their disposal – Messi, Suarez and Neymar are arguably the best front three in world football – it’s almost impossible to envisage a situation where the visitors fail to fashion more than enough chances to score two goals.
The game between these just a fortnight ago probably isn’t the best yardstick, what with Bravo’s red-card, but Barcelona scored four nonetheless and there probably aren’t too many people who feel that Luis Enrique’s men wouldn’t have added at least a second even if Man City have managed to keep 11 players on the pitch.
Another positive is the versatility of this Barcelona side. Obviously they’re famous for their intricate possession play, but in recent times they’ve added an explosive counter-attacking element to their game – something that could easily bear fruit on Tuesday night. Let’s face it, if we’ve learnt one thing from watching Guardiola’s Man City it’s that they want to attack and, although very good at it, such a tactic is bound to leave them open on the counter and Barcelona have the tools to take advantage of this.
Who knows, Maybe City will find enough attacking strength to overpower this Barcelona side and come out on top that way, but, regardless, the hosts will almost certainly come under pressure at times and are bound to present the Spaniards with goal-scoring opportunities and, with the likes of Messi and Suarez in the forward-line, the visitors probably won’t need asking twice before they take full advantage.
Whatever way you look at this fixture, whichever side you feel is more likely to prevail, goals for the visitors looks an inevitability and, at a shade under even-money, ‘Barcelona to Score Over 1.5 Goals’ is one bet that is definitely worth being on.
See all of Tuesday’s Champions League tips here.