Man City v Sunderland: City’s Eastlands dominance to persist
Published:Every game now seems a must-win for Manchester City, none more so than their home tie with Sunderland this weekend, that they can succeed in at 1/4 to keep hopes of a first Premier League title alive.
Martin O’Neill’s travelling side still have Europa League ambitions, but they will struggle to complete the double over City, as suggested by their lengthy 11/1 odds for an Eastlands victory.
The draw is a 9/2 shot, but punters should be aware that City have maintained a 100% home record this season, and will surely extend that run with a 16th Premier League success at the Etihad Stadium.
Another maximum points haul looks a certainty for Roberto Mancini’s men when taking into account the sheer gulf in class between the two sides, and 8/13 odds for them to be leading at half-time and full-time appeal here.
At a bigger 1/1, you can back the Citizens to win both halves, and this looks a superb bet considering that they have led in just shy of two thirds of their league fixtures by the break at Eastlands this term.
City have in fact yet to concede a first half goal on their own patch during their league campaign, and so the 5/6 odds for the most goals to occur in the second half of the match look good.
Meanwhile, the title challengers’ 31 second half goals, in contrast to their 13 first half strikes at Eastlands, make the 1/1 odds on them registering most of their goals in the second half look an attractive proposition.
Sergio Aguero, with 25 goals in all competitions to his name this term, is 11/4 favourite to bag the opener on Saturday, whilst Carlos Tevez, gradually building match fitness, is a 7/2 shot, though he could be a better bet to close the scoring at the same price.
