RB Leipzig vs. Man City Betting Tips: Back Alvarez to turn provider in Germany

The current Champions League holders Manchester City are in action on Wednesday as they travel to Red Bull Leipzig in Group G. We’ve made a case for two bets for the game including a selection from the anytime assist market that looks potentially overpriced.

Red Bull Leipzig kicked-off  Matchday 1 with a 3-1 away win over Swiss outfit Young Boys. They currently sit 5th in the Bundesliga table after six matches, but are unbeaten in their last seven across all competitions. The only blemish on their Bundesliga record so far this term came against Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen who currently occupy top-spot in the standings. 

Leipzig faced Pep Guardiola’s side in the last-16 of this competition last season, managing a 1-1 draw on home soil in the first leg, before being demolished 7-0 at The Etihad thanks to a five-goal Erling Haaland masterclass. 

The last time Manchester City lost three consecutive matches was back in 2018 when they were beaten twice by Liverpool in this competition, either side of a Premier League defeat to Manchester United. 

Understandably, City are the favourites to get back to winning ways with this trip to Germany. The hosts can be backed at 7/2 with most betting sites, while the draw has been chalked-up at 3/1.

The return of Rodri will be pivotal on Wednesday, with the Spaniard currently serving a domestic suspension for his dismissal against Nottingham Forest 10 days ago. A master at breaking up play and giving away tactical fouls, Rodri has also added a new dimension to his game in recent months with only Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez recording more attempts for City this term.

Scorer of the decisive goal in the Champions League final in June, Rodri also bagged on Matchday 1 against Red Star Belgrade in a game where he let off five shots, with two of those hitting the target. 

It’s the shots on target market where we are backing the midfielder against Red Bull, with 27/20 available with Unibet for him to register Over 0.5. William Hill have this selection priced odds-on and after three goals and 10 shots on target in his first nine matches across all formats for City since the start of the season, we make this a value selection. 

We’ve also taken a lean towards Julian Alvarez providing an assist in the match. The World Cup winner bagged a brace against Red Star two weeks ago in a game where he also created seven chances for his teammates. 

This season Alvarez has been a breath of fresh air and often finds space with defenders giving too much attention to Erling Haaland. Alvarez has three assists in ten appearances for City this term and 11/2 looks a little big here for a Manchester City side that have lost just two of their last 30 Champions League group stage matches.