Will City implode in UCL?
Soccer fans can look forward to two TAB Soccer 10 carryovers this weekend but before then all eyes will be on Manchester City and how they handle the pressure of their first match in the knockout stages of Champions League.
Manchester City have some incredible talent and depth in their squad and it is all working out swimmingly for them at the moment - but it remains improbable that they will win all four trophies they are chasing this season.
Their 10-point lead at the top of the English Premier League will be hard to overtake even if closest rivals Manchester United are insisting they are not out of the race yet.
“I am never going to say it's done until it's done," Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said after his side beat Newcastle United on Sunday.
But few would bet against City regaining the Premier League crown they surrendered to Liverpool last season, even though they face no straightforward task against West Ham United in the early EPL match this Saturday.
The match kicks off a R200,000 carryover Soccer 10 pool that could total some R3 million by the time the game starts. And TAB soccer customers should note that there’s a R100,000 carryover to Sunday’s first Soccer 10 pool.
Both pools could deliver mega payouts!
City are also favourites to beat Tottenham Hotspur in next month’s League Cup final and have reached the quarter-final stage of the FA Cup, in which they take on Everton away on 20 March.
But it is the UEFA Champions League that is their Holy Grail and where City have had so many disappointments, freezing at the vital moment after being overcome by the burden of expectation.
They begin the knockout stage of the current competition away against Borussia Moenchengladbach, who had to move tomorrow’s match to Budapest as Germany are restricting inbound flights from England because of COVID-19.
The fixture is still Monchengladbach's designated home leg, meaning the Bundesliga side could conceivably lose the tie on away goals despite playing both legs away from home.
Pep Guardiola’s men, who have Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan back from injury, are overwhelming favourites but there is always that lurking uncertainty about whether they will implode.
Champions League action starts tonight as holders Bayern visit Lazio and Chelsea take on Atletico Madrid.
These games look likely to be drawn, offering the away side the advantage for the return legs next month.
The Blues remain unbeaten since Thomas Tuchel arrived as manager, but they are yet to be properly tested as they have had several games against “softer” opponents in recent weeks.