The pinnacle of European club soccer returns at the quarter-final stage with two of the continent's best sides going head-to-head when Manchester City take on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
Pep Guardiola's side will host Thomas Tuchel's team for the first leg in Manchester on 11 April 2023, before the second leg takes place eight days later on Wednesday 19th April 2023.
We'll preview the two-legged clash for you and provide you with our best free soccer picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you enjoy the game.
Learn more about how to bet on the Champions League here.
Manchester City vs Bayern Munich information
- 1st leg: 11 April 2023 - Etihad Arena, Manchester, England.
- 2nd leg: 19 April 2023 - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany.
Manchester City route to this stage
The English Premier League champions have so far had a stellar Champions League campaign, dominating their group stage and then claiming a lopsided win in the first knockout stage.
Their six group games saw them claim four wins and two draws, conceding just two goals in the process while they scored 14. They beat Spanish side Sevilla home and away, winning 4-0 away from home and 3-1 at home, while they also beat Borussia Dortmund and FC Copenhagen in their home ground.
In the last 16 stage they were paired with yet another German Bundesliga club in RB Leipzig and after drawing the away leg 1-1 they smashed them 7-0 with star striker Erling Haaland scoring five goals, taking his tally for the tournament to 10 goals in six games.
Bayern Munich route to this stage
Bayern Munich have been the in-form team in the competition this season, winning every single game they've played in the tournament this season.
The German club claimed six wins from six in the group stage, beating Italian champions Inter Milan, Spanish giants Barcelona and Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzen, conceding just two goals while scoring an incredible 18 - a competition high.
They then faced off with European powerhouses Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 knockout stages and were able to completely nullify Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar to win both home and away with an aggregate score of 3-0.
Since that game though they have changed managers, firing Julien Nagelsmann following some poor form domestically and bringing in Thomas Tuchel.
Team news
City are almost at full strength for this huge European clash, with young starlet Phil Foden ruled out after having his appendix removed during the most recent international break.
Erling Haaland is expected to start up front after his brace against Southampton at the weekend, while Jack Grealish should continue on the left following his recent excellent form.
Bayern Munich are still without legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer after he broke his leg in a skiing accident over the festive period, while Lucas Hernandez remains out injured with a knee injury picked up at the World Cup.
Top goalscorer Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting hasn't travelled for the first leg due to injury, but is expected to recover in time for the second leg.
Next up: Bayern 👊#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/6BRi7Quih3
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 10, 2023
Soccer picks: Erling Haaland to score in first leg
This might be the most obvious bet of all time, but the big man just cannot stop scoring goals this season and it's hard to see him stopping here.
The Norwegian has scored 44 goals in all competitions and needs just one more to break the record of the modern era for most goals in a season for an English club, so why not crack it here?
His record against Bayern Munich is good too, having scored five times in seven games against them during his time as a Dortmund player but he has never beaten them.
Bayern are likely to play a high line and try to control possession against City, which will leave Haaland plenty of space to run into. Even if he doesn't take his first chance, which would be unusual, he's likely to get enough chances to at least bag once and give his side the advantage.
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Soccer picks: Manchester City to win + both teams to score
Both teams are known for playing high intensity, possession based football, and that means plenty of chances created and it should mean goals.
Thomas Tuchel's recent record against Pep Guardiola is very good, but this is a new team he is in charge of and Bayern have kept just one clean sheet in the three games he's had as manager.
On paper it's really hard to separate the sides, but City's home record is exceptional in this competition and they need to get a result to ensure they go into the second leg holding an advantage.
Defensively they have been good in recent weeks too, but Bayern's attack is full of pace, trickery and fantastic quality so keeping them out for 90 minutes will be an incredibly difficult task.
It makes sense to back both teams to score in the 90 minutes of the first leg, but back City with their home advantage and excellent form to get the win and head back to Munich with a lead.
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