Sporting CP vs. Manchester City 2/15/22 UEFA Champions League Soccer Pick, Predictions, and Odds

Sporting CP is welcoming Manchester City to Jose Alvalade in the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Sporting is in excellent form right now, they are outscoring pretty much anyone, but they are also conceding goals. City is once again the best team in the EPL, they are scoring a lot, and their defense has been quite solid so far this season.

Sporting has 4 wins and a draw in their last 5 games, and they have gotten to this stage in the Champions League by ending in 2^nd place of their group, but barely. Sporting has had 9 points, they have scored 14 goals, but they have also conceded 12 goals, which wasn’t that good. Goncalves is the leading goalscorer for Sporting in the Champions League, but he is on the injury list, and he will most likely not be playing in this game. Now, Sporting has to go for a positive result in this game because it will be really hard for them to do something on the road, but with their best goalscorer out, it will be hard for them here as well. Sporting is one of the best teams in Portugal, and I think they are good enough to get on the scoreboard here, but I’m not sure they will with City dominating.

City has won their group quite dominantly, but their defense was way too sloppy in the group stage. City might have scored 18 goals in 6 games, and that is a lot, but they have also conceded 10 goals, which is also a lot. Since then, I think City has improved their defense, they are dominating EPL, but they are still not as good as they can be on the defensive end. City is at the top of the EPL, and they will most likely win it, but their goal in the Champions League, and after that loss to Chelsea in the finals last season, they will do everything to get it now. Mahrez is the leading goalscorer for City in the Champions League with 5 goals, while Concelo added 3 assists. The good news for City is they have had 2 easy games in the EPL last week, and that gave them the chance to rest some players and rotate their starting lineup. City is an incredibly well-stacked team, they have a lot of depth, they have a lot of quality, and I think they are the biggest favorites to win the Champions League this season, and they would deserve it.

With Sporting being the home team, they will certainly go for goal in this game, and I think they are good enough to get on the scoreboard, but I just don’t see them beating City. This will be the game where City will dominate, they will create chances, and if they will be in good mood, they will score goals.