Manchester City – Newcastle United

Newcastle will perform well in the away return match against the favorite.

Before the first leg of this semifinal duel in Newcastle, bookmakers considered the teams' chances of winning to be even. The first half confirmed that the expectations were well founded. In the first 45 minutes, neither side registered a shot on target, engaging in a tactical battle and trying to seize the advantage. In the second half the game picked up pace, and the visitors turned out to be the luckier side. Antoine Semenyo, Manchester City's newcomer, scored in the 53rd minute, and Sherki doubled the lead before the final whistle. Newcastle did not look so bad as to concede by two goals, but now they must prepare for a convincing win at the Etihad. Theoretically, such an outcome is quite possible. In the first half of the season, at Manchester City's stadium, Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham surprised them, beating Guardiola's side 2-0 on both occasions. Both results occurred for different reasons; however, Manchester City's vulnerability to a drop in form due to a poor mindset or inability to turn the course of a match is a fact. Nevertheless, bookmakers have named the home side favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.80 on their victory. The main problem for Manchester City in this match could be complacency and a lack of focus on the opponent. Three full days after the Newcastle match, the Citizens will travel to Anfield to face Liverpool. The Merseyside club this season could have lost at home to PSV or Crystal Palace by a heavy scoreline, but has faced genuinely strong opponents at a higher level. Beating Newcastle on their own turf, Guardiola's players could well feel the job done, and rotation of the squad could lead to even bigger problems. As was the case in the aforementioned match against Bayer. At the same time, Newcastle last week in Paris demonstrated how to play against the favorites. The Magpies nearly beat the best team in Europe, showing remarkable determination and commitment. These qualities were not present in Eddie Howe's side on Saturday in Liverpool, but Newcastle did lead for a while in that game as well. Let's bet on a favorable outcome for the visitors in the return leg.