Verdict: Manchester City to score over 3.5 goals
Best Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Bet365
If they weren’t already, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side have proven why they’re once again favorites to defend their crown. Looking to carry on their impressive run of form, The Sky Blues will welcome Huddersfield to the Etihad on Sunday.
Manchester City
Well, it almost appears that Guardiola’s record-breaking champions haven’t missed a beat. With the likes of Vincent Kompany and David Silva returning late from the World Cup duty, City ended their pre-season tour with a 3-2 win over German kings Bayern Munich and the defending Premier League winners have only gone from strength to strength. Bring in Riyad Mahrez over the summer, Guardiola’s side put in a dominant display against Chelsea in the Community Shield and picking up their first piece of silverware thanks to a 2-0 win, many believe City could be the greatest Premier League side of all-time. Adding to that claim was last weekends 2-0 win over Arsenal, with Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling finding the net, City have also kept clean sheets in their last two matches on the bounce.
Team News
Manchester City have confirmed they will be without Kevin de Bruyne for up to three months after he suffered a knee injury in training this week.
He joins Danilo and Eliaquim Mangala on the sidelines, but David Silva could return after missing the win over Arsenal.
Huddersfield
As for Huddersfield, while their historic survival will live long in the memory in West Yorkshire, it could be a difficult year for David Wagner’s side. Although The Terriers did enjoy an impressive pre-season, the visitors are coming off the back of a 3-0 loss to Chelsea in their Premier League opener and their form in the final third could be a major issue for the German’s side. With 23-year-old Steve Mounie finishing as the top scorer with just seven goals last season, Huddersfield held the joint worst attacking stats in the Premier League. Asking very little of Chelsea’s new-look defensive formation, it is hard to see Huddersfield troubling a City side who have now kept a clean sheet in four of their last six top-flight outings.
Team News
Huddersfield defender Mathias Jorgensen will be absent with a muscle injury. Danny Williams and former Dortmund defender Erik Durm will also miss out along with Jonathan Hogg who is a doubt with a hip injury.
Key Factors to Consider
- City have won 26 of the 27 league matches Raheem Sterling has scored in. The only exception was in their second home game of last season, when they drew with Everton.
- The 75 assists David Silva has registered in the Premier League since his debut in 2010 is more than any other player in that period.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 11 goals in his last seven Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium.
- Huddersfield have only won one of their last 11 league games.
- They failed to net in eight of those matches and did not score more than once in any of the other three.
Conclusion
Although The Terriers may have enjoyed an impressive pre-season tour, David Wagner would have been down to see that his first two outings were against Chelsea and Manchester City. While Huddersfield will certainly give no less than 100%, it is hard to see them causing a seismic upset against Guardiola’s high-flying champions, especially at the Etihad. With City scoring three or more goals in six of their last nine Premier League outings, we’re backing Sergio Aguero and co to enjoy another fine afternoon in front of goal.
Verdict: Manchester City to score over 3.5 goals
Best Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Bet365
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