CSKA Moscow v Man City: Over 1.5 goals for visitors looks best bet
Published:Pole position in the race to finish behind defending champions Bayern Munich is theoretically up for grabs when Manchester City head to CSKA Moscow and some goal statistics bode well for Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
Man City’s odds are 3/4 to beat CSKA in their first ever meeting with Russian opposition, which would take them onto six points in Group D, with at least a three-point cushion back to third.
However, it is the 7/10 that City score a minimum of two goals in Russia that holds greater appeal, given their scoring record of late and defensive problems that have been hiccupping the hosts.
In Man City’s five away games in all competitions this season, they have netted two or more on four occasions, with the anomaly being when they drew a blank at Stoke.
Meanwhile, Moscow come into the game on a troublesome run of three defeats in four games, with the lingering problem of conceding at least twice in each of these four fixtures.
Their sole success was the 3-2 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzen and it is hard to believe that if the Czech’s can score twice away to CSKA, then Man City’s embarrassment of attacking riches should at least be able to match this feat.
Furthermore, all four of Man City’s Champions League goals so far this season have come in the second half of matches.
This may indicate that the 11/8 is worth taking that Man City score most of their goals after the half-time interval or, the 11/10 that the game as a whole witnesses more goals in the second period.
In terms of picking a scorer, Edin Dzeko has started both Man City’s outings in the competition this season and could do so again here, after being an unused substitute in the latest victory at West Ham.
Dzeko is 11/2 to break the deadlock and 13/8 to strike at any time in the 90 minutes.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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