Slovan Bratislava v Man City

Two actual champions meet each other in the Slovakian capital as Manchester City travel to Slovan Bratislava. In what appears to be one of the biggest mismatches of the entire Champions League this season, City are huge favourites to prevail and the main question appears to be how many they will win by.

⭐ Slovan Bratislava v Man City Best Bets

Slovan Bratislava picked up three cards in the first 30 mins away to Celtic in matchday one. We can expect the same sort of commitment here at home to Man City. They won’t be able to live with the technical side of their opponents but they can match up to them physically and rough them up a bit. There might be some cynical and desperate challenges so taking over 3.5 cards looks a strong bet. Slovan drew two cards from Celtic in the opener so City might contribute here as well.

🔎 Slovan Bratislava v Man City Players to Watch 

🔵 Rico Lewis

The latest big talent to come through the City academy has been 19-year-old Rico Lewis, who is starting to nail himself down in this team as a starter. Lewis is a versatile player who can play in pretty much any defensive position but what is starting to become noticeable is how much of a foul magnet he is. Lewis has been fouled 2.28 times per 90 mins so far this season so knows how to win free kicks. Slovan are likely to rack up several fouls and Lewis could be on the end of some.

🔵 Ilkay Gundogan

Erling Haaland is doubtful to play and Kevin De Bruyne also might miss out. Rodri is done for the entire season so suddenly the role of Ilkay Gundogan looks big in this game. He might even be employed as a shadow striker or one of the main offensive midfielders. He has yet to really get going this season but last year at Barcelona averaged 0.53 shots on target per 90 mins and in his last full year for Man City in the 2022/23 campaign that figure was 0.76. City might need him to strike and the price on Gundogan just to have at least one shot on target looks big considering the circumstances.

🔴 David Strelec

Slovan Bratislava will likely be outclassed here but their probable starting striker David Strelec could be of some value to fire two shots or more. He can be backed at 1.36 for a single shot, and a massive 3.0 for a brace. He had two total shots at Celtic Park when they lost 1-5 and may well shoot here if given any sort of opportunity. Slovan could be feeding off scraps so some desperate long-range attempts are very possible. He averages 3.55 shots per game domestically and just scored two goals at the weekend, so should be confident about trying his luck. 

🗂️ Slovan Bratislava v Man City Cheat Sheet

The second week of the Champions League is littered with action and our signature football betting predictions are on hand to help. Make sure to check out our Champions League accumulator tips and Champions League bet builder tips to help you back a winner for the first week of the Champions League.

Not only that, but we also have a selection of both teams to score tips, along with player prop market predictions to fold into bet builders, like our card betting tips, player shots on target tips, fouls betting tips, and anytime goalscorer tips.

If you enjoy this revamped betting preview, be sure to check out our bet builder stats tool, the best freely available data source for punting on football, available for all Champions League fixtures this week.

💻 Slovan Bratislava v Man City Form & Tactics 

Slovan have won 7 out of 8 games in their domestic league and are top of the table looking to defend their championship crown. They were well beaten 5-1 by Celtic in matchday one of the Champions League and on the metrics they were dominated 3.56 to 0.56 on xG. Slovan conceded 11 shots on target and lost the corner battle 11-4 that night. They are at home now but could be under significant pressure from a top class team here.

Man City remain unbeaten in all competitions but recently drew 1-1 away to Newcastle and were held 2-2 vs Arsenal. Their squad is under pressure with key man Rodri ruled out for the entire season and the likes of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne doubtful. City were held 0-0 by Inter in matchday one but won the xG battle 2.24 to 0.61 and outshot the Italians 23-13.

🏁 Slovan Bratislava v Man City Ref Watch 

• Davide Massa averages 4.33 cards per game in Serie A this season
• Has reffed 17 UCL matches in his career, issuing an average of 3.65 per game
• Given a high rate of 0.35 penalties per game in his career for both Serie A & UCL fixtures

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Everyone should take their time to find their own approach, but our guide on how to use a Cheat Sheet is a great place to start if you’re unsure how to make the most of them.

We aim to help all our readers bet smarter, and our guides to the best betting sites for accumulators and the top bet builder sites, along with our collections of Champions League free bet and sign up offers, free bet offers and weekly free bet clubs, are perfect starting points to ensure your money goes further when betting with the best UK sports betting sites.

Our experts have also put together helpful guides, such as this one on xG in football, all aimed at giving you the skills and knowledge to level up your punting game.

* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.