City Frozen Out by Bookies

There’s an interesting contradiction in the Europa League betting with Man City, cited as 4/1 favourites to lift the trophy, regarded as slight underdogs to win the first leg of their Last 16 match against Dynamo Kiev - mere 25/1 shots to win the Cup. The reason for this is simple; the Ukranians are seen as formidable in the sub-zero temperatures of their own backyard, where they play tonight.

The statistics speak for themselves. Kiev are unbeaten in six European home matches and haven’t conceded at all in the last three of those games at the Valeriy Lobanovskiy Stadium. Star striker Andriy Shevchenko is enjoying a late flourish to his career now that he has got to the age where he is routinely decribed as evergreen. The return of popular former coach Yuri Semin has made Kiev look like an ever improving outfit and they are worth backing at 8/5 with PaddyPower.

The trepidation that the bookies feel on Man City’s behalf is reflected in the 2/1 price that VictorChandler offer on an away win. Mancini’s side haven’t triumphed in their last three European outings and this one looks likely to be the toughest assignment yet. With tonight’s temperature at kick-off expected to be -5 or lower, the big spenders will need grit, determination and, most likely, a few snoods if they are to get a result to take back to the relatively tropical Eastlands.