Champions League, Group-C Prediction: Man City vs Atlanta, Shakhtar vs Dinamo

Pep Guardiola, Manager Manchester City
Pep Guardiola, Manager Manchester City

Manchester City vs Atlanta

Stadium: Etihad Stadium

Betting Odds: Manchester City 1.20; Draw 7.00 ; Atlanta 13.00

Probability of Win: Manchester City 80%; Draw 13% ; Atlanta 7%

Manchester City

Injury Concern: Laporte (knee), Sané (knee), Zinchenko (illness)

Predicted XI: Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Fernandinho, Mendy; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gündogan; Mahrez, Agüero, Sterling

Manchester City have faced defense issues in recent weeks, but it would be a massive surprise if that holds them in advancing to the Round-16 of the Champions League. English giants are currently top of Group C with six points from their two matches.

City started their 2019-20 European campaign with a 3-0 win at Shakhtar before beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 on home soil earlier this month. While the 2018-19 season was incredibly successful in terms of domestic trophies, there is no question that the owners will be looking for an improvement in the Champions League this term.

Guardiola’s team lost to eventual finalists Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of last season’s competition, while their best performance in the tournament was reaching the final four in 2015-16.

Atlanta

Injury Concern: Zapata (adductor), Palomino (thigh), Kjær (adductor)

Predicted XI: Gollini; Tolói, Djimsiti, Masiello; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Castagne; A Gómez, Iličić; Muriel

Third-place-finish in Serie A 2018-19 session allowed Atalanta to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history. The club will forever remember this season, but it would be fair to say that the Italian side have found it difficult in their first two Group C matches.

Atalanta were beaten on September 18, as they lost 4-0 at Dinamo Zagreb, before suffering a 2-1 home defeat to Shakhtar earlier this month. The Serie A outfit now face back-to-back games against City, which is hardly ideal as they look to put some Champions League points.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are again going well in Serie A, though, with a total of 17 points from eight matches leaving them in the third spot in the table. Only Inter Milan and Juventus have outperformed them in the league this season, and they certainly have players capable of causing City problems in this match.