City 10-1 to qualify after damaging Barca defeat
MANCHESTER CITY are 10-1 with bet365 to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals after their European dreams suffered a major setback with a damaging 2-1 home defeat against Barcelona at the Etihad on Tuesday.
Luis Suarez’s first-half double put Barca in control of the tie before Sergio Aguero gave City hope after the interval.
However, Gael Clichy was later sent off – Hills had made a City red card a 6-1 shot – and Barca are 15-4 to win the Champions League. The Catalans are 1-12 with Ladbrokes to qualify.
It could have been worse for City, who are 66-1 with BoyleSports to win the Champions League, but Joe Hart saved Lionel Messi’s injury-time penalty.
Despite that late boost, the pressure is mounting on manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Hills rate Pellegrini 1-3 not to start next term at City and he is 9-4 to stay on in the Etihad hotseat.
Juventus, who like Barcelona were well-backed favourites to win their clash, hold a small advantage over Borussia Dortmund thanks to a 2-1 victory. Coral rate Juve 1-2 to qualify for the last eight and Dortmund can be backed at 13-8.
It was a fantastic night for favourite backers in the Football League as all nine teams who started the evening at evens or shorter obliged for their backers.
Steve Freeth of bet365 spoke for most of the industry when he said it had been a night of coupon “carnage” and reported his firm lost “several million.”
Ten of the 11 favourites in the Championship won, four of the five in League One did likewise and only one of the 19 Football League matches finished in a draw.
