Manchester City started off their 2020/21 UEFA Champions League campaign in successful fashion with a 3-1 win against Portuguese champions Porto at the Etihad Stadium last week.
Goals from Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and new signing Ferran Torres was enough to collect all three points to make a strong start to a competition the club have had aspirations of winning signing their takeover in 2008 by Sheikh Mansour.
However, City’s inconsistency stemming from last season has revealed itself once again with the club yet to win two league games in a row. City’s last game was a 1-1 draw with West Ham United in yet another result where they dropped points. After five games, City sit 13th in the Premier League, scoring just eight goals in five games as they lag behind the likes of Leeds United and Aston Villa respectively, who’ve made strong starts to this year’s league campaign.
Manchester City’s opponents on Tuesday are former UCL champions Marseille in what will be the first ever competitive meeting between the two sides.
Marseille sit fourth in Ligue 1 after eight games, losing just one game this season as well as defeating defending champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in a fiery contest at Parc De Princes last month.
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Despite having a rich European history, Marseille last competed in the UEFA Champions League in the 2013/14 season where they were eliminated in the group stage.
The team lost their first group stage game last week, conceding a 90th minute winner to Olympiacos to lose 1-0.
Marseille possess the quality to qualify for the Champions League sporting the likes of Dimitri Payet, Florian Thauvin and Morgan Sanson in their side, but consistency has been a major issue for them in recent seasons.
Marseille are managed by Andre Villas-Boas, former manager of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and Pep Guardiola praised the Portuguese manager on the job he’s doing in Marseille.
“I followed him at Porto where he did an incredible job. We have not been in touch much since, but he knows perfectly the Premier League, a young but experienced manager that has had success and is doing a good job in Marseille.”
“A manager like Andre makes an incredible job with Porto winning the Europa League and league there. After being in many many countries and doing well he speaks for himself. Sometimes the managers depend on the players that we have, and I think he is doing a good job at Marseille. I’m looking forward to say hi tomorrow and after focus on the game.”
With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte back from injury, I’m confident City will get the win in Marseille by two goals to one.
Sportsbooks odds on a City open at -250. Odds on Marseille winning their first Champions League game in seven years open at +650. Odds on a draw between the two teams open at +375.
Pick: Marseille 1, Manchester City 2
