After last week’s mixed bag of European results for the Premier League, will Manchester City fare any better when they host Monaco at 7.45pm on BT Sport 2?

There is an air of 2 steps forward 1 step back around City at the moment. Just as they get their league form sorted out, with 3 wins on the trot lifting them to 2nd (though admittedly still 8 points adrift from Chelsea), they stumble in the FA Cup, somehow failing to score against Huddersfield to force a 5th round replay. And this was no second string side – an out of favour Sergio Aguero led the front line alongside Nolito, while both Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne made appearances off the bench.



That doesn’t bode well for their European return, especially since City weren’t exactly at their best during the Champions League’s group stages. While it was the source of the club’s best performance this season, that 3-1 victory over Barcelona, alongside a 4-0 battering of Borussia Monchengladbach, City also suffered a 4-0 hammering at the Nou Camp, 2 draws against Celtic and a messy trip to Germany.

Tuesday’s game provides Aguero with another opportunity to prove his worth to Pep Guardiola after scuffing his chances at Huddersfield, a turnaround in form that has become more urgent since Brazilian wunderkind Gabriel Jesus fractured his metatarsal against Bournemouth. The Argentine heads into the 1st leg at a Super Mega PGM of 55-63, ahead of Kelechi Iheanacho at 35-41 and Nolito at 27-32.

Given the teams they could of draw Man City’s immediate reaction to drawing Monaco was likely one of relief. However, they shouldn’t underestimate the French side. They are top of Ligue 1, 3 points ahead of the usually dominant PSG, while in Europe they beat Tottenham twice to top their Group E. The return of Radamel Falco has also been a huge success; the Colombian has 22 goals in all competitions and sits at a Super Mega PGM of 24-29.

The result on Tuesday night really depends on which City turns up – the one that puts 4 or 5 past a team with ease, or the side that can’t get shot past Huddersfield and loses 4-2 to a likely relegation bound Leicester. Our traders seem to be looking for the former, with Spreadex offering a Man City/Monaco Goal Supremacy spread of 0.95-1.15 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3.05-3.25.

Tuesday’s other Champions League game sees Atletico Madrid travel to Bayer Leverkusen at 7.45pm on BT Sport 3. Atletico were quietly one of the best sides in the group stages – while they only managed to score 7 goals, half of the tally managed by 2nd place Bayern Munich, they conceded just 2. In La Liga their fortunes have been a bit more inconsistent; an awful period between mid-October and mid-December, which saw 4 losses, 2 wins and a draw, has given way to an 8 game unbeaten streak, keeping the side in 4th place. They also, of course, have Antoine Griezmann, who heads to Germany with a Super Mega PGM spread of 28-33.



As for Bayer Leverkusen, they weren’t particularly convincing in the group stages – though, with Monaco, they did help knock out Tottenham – and have been even worse in the Bundesliga, where they currently sit in 8th place. The visitors will fancy their chances against their lacklustre hosts, with Spreadex offering an Atletico Madrid/Bayer Leverkusen (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0-0.2 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.15-2.35.