Manchester City v Barnsley: No stopping Citizens at this stage

With the chance to retain their league title all but over Mike Norman believes Manchester City will go all out for the only silverware available to them, starting with a simple victory on Saturday...

Man City v Barnsley
FA Cup QF - Saturday 17:30
Live on ESPN

They won't admit it, but everyone at Manchester City knows that the FA Cup is their only chance of silverware this season, and they couldn't have wished for a better tie than a home quarter-final against Championship strugglers Barnsley.

In almost a replica scenario to the previous round, City haven't played for a week, and it's another seven days before they are back in league action so there is absolutely no reason why Roberto Mancini won't play the strongest team available to him. However, it is expected that Mancini won't risk either Vincent Kompany or Sergio Aguero following recent injuries.

Barnsley boss David Flitcroft - whose brother Garry made over 140 appearances for Man City - has midfielder Stephen Dawson back from injury meaning he has virtually a full strength squad to choose from.

Current Form

Two draws and a surprising loss to Southampton last month effectively took City out of the title race. They've recovered in good fashion however to win their last two league games over Chelsea and Aston Villa without conceding a goal. And it's a similar story in the FA Cup. The Citizens have won all three ties in this year's competition without conceding, two of which were at home to Championship outfits.

I referred to Barnsley as Championship strugglers in my opening paragraph, and simply looking at the league table then that is what they most certainly are. But it was only a few weeks ago that I was referring to The Tykes as one of the country's most in-form clubs. The Yorkshire outfit were unbeaten in nine a few weeks ago, but it's no wins in three currently, possibly because of having one eye on this competition.

Match Odds & Half Time markets

You won't get rich at all backing the home side at just 1.152/13, and I'm sure there's been bigger shocks in the FA Cup than the one Barnsley - 26.025/1 to win on the day - would have to produce at the Etihad, but everything being equal it is absolutely impossible to envisage anything than a comfortable win for City.

Perhaps a better way to profit is to back Man City in the Half Time market at 1.42/5, collect your winnings, and re-assess the game during the interval. Alternatively you could simply back Man City/Man City at 1.4840/85 in the Half Time/Full Time market.

Reasons for the above recommendations are simply. Other than the obvious gulf in class between the two sides, Barnsley have trailed at half time in each of their last four games since their good run of form came to an end, whereas City were two goals to the good by half time in both their FA Cup victories over Championship clubs this season.

Correct Score

You can never be overly confident about a side scoring a plethora of goals, especially with the possibility of players taking their foot of the gas once a game is won. Having said that, I don't think we should be too worried on that score here.

City will almost certainly be at full strength, which in itself should make them too hot to handle for Barnsley, and they'll want to build as much confidence as possible as they aim to send out a warning to Manchester United that they're not giving up on the title just yet.

If City can make an early breakthrough - just as they did against Leeds in the previous round - then I fully expect them to go on and score four or five. The Any Unquoted option can be backed at 2.56/4 in this market.

First Goalscorer

With Aguero a major doubt, and Carlos Tevez having more 'off-field' problems the last few days, a chance is taken on Edin Dzeko to get the first goal of the game. The tall Bosnian has started eight of City's last 11 games, scoring a total of six goals, three of which rewarded First Goalscorer punters.

Dzeko is available to back at around 1.910/11 in the To Score market, which isn't a bad alternative, but if he starts then he has every chance of notching first at 4.47/2.

Recommended Bets

Back Any Unquoted Correct Score @ 2.56/4
Back Man City in Half Time market @ 1.42/5
Back Edin Dzeko First Goalscorer @ 4.47/2

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Ligue 1 Betting: There's no stopping PSG now

"Nancy have lost six of nine games and scored just three goals in total. PSG should be far too strong for them"

PSG -1.0 Asian handicap at Nancy @ 1.9520/21

Carlo Ancelotti's league leaders should continue their march at the top of the table but Lille will suffer another difficult weekend, says James Eastham.

Lille v Valenciennes (11th v 5th) Sat, 16:00 BST
Lille's 1-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night was just the latest miserable episode in a horrible season. Rudi Garcia's side have won just one of their last nine games in all competitions as they struggle to come to terms with life after Eden Hazard.

Neighbours Valenciennes go into this game in high spirits. They thrashed Lorient 6-1 last weekend (aided by two Lorient red cards) and will be confident they can get something in front of 50,000 fans at the Grand Stade. Valenciennes have the attacking quality to hurt Lille's shaky defence: wingers Thomas Dossevi and Gael Danic, playmaker Foued Kadir and centre-forward Anthony Le Tallec are all in fine form.

Lille are too short at 1.654/6 so you have the opportunity to back Valenciennes on the Asian Handicap at good odds.

Montpellier v Nice (16th v 15th) Sat, 19:00 BST
Montpellier are a shadow of the side that won the Ligue 1 title last season. They lie 16th, having taken just eight points from their opening nine games. Their home form is a particular concern - their league record at Stade de la Mosson is W0-D2-L2 and they have lost 2-1 to both Arsenal and Olympiakos in the Champions League.

Nice are playing better than their league position suggests. They struggle to keep clean sheets but the quality and variety of their attacking play is a joy to watch. And they are difficult to beat - since an opening-day 1-0 defeat to Ajaccio their only loss was v Reims (3-1) and over the course of 90 minutes they deserved a point.

Montpellier's 1.758/11 price is too short. I'd back the draw or support Nice on the Asian Handicap. Both teams to score also looks too big - both teams have found the net in 19 of 23 games involving these two sides in all competitions.

Nancy v PSG (20th v 1st) Sat, 19:00 BST
It's bottom against top at Stade Marcel Picot and impossible to make a case for Nancy stopping the PSG juggernaut. The hosts have lost six of their opening nine league games and scored just three times. Their defensive record of 15 goals conceded is the joint third-worst in the division and fans are getting on their backs. Confidence could not be lower as the title favourites arrive in town.

Since making a slow start to the season in August, PSG have improved. They have won comfortably against Ligue 1's smaller sides: 4-0 at Bastia, 2-0 v Sochaux and 1-0 v Reims. There's little downside to backing PSG -1.0 on the Asian Handicap as they are a strong selection to win, and you'll make a profit at good odds if they win by two goals or more.

Bastia v Bordeaux (12th v 6th) Sun, 16:00 BST
I can see both teams scoring here. Bastia are a decent attacking side - they have scored 12 goals in nine games - and should be able to find the net at least once because of fatigue in the Bordeaux ranks. The visitors travelled to Madeira for a Europa League game against Maritimo on Thursday night so are unlikely to be at their sharpest when these sides meet at Stade Furiani. Goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso is also an injury doubt.

Bastia have the division's worst defensive record, conceding an average of 2.22 goals a game. They have kept only one clean sheet in nine games. That was against Ajaccio last weekend (0-0) but they rode their luck, with Ajaccio hitting the post and firing wide when they should have scored.

Odds of 1.784/5 are worth taking.

Marseille v Lyon (2nd v 3rd) Sun, 20:00 BST
Marseille made the best start of any Ligue 1 side in 50 years by winning their opening six league games but since then, their form has faltered. They have picked up just one point from their last three league games as their early start to the season - Marseille's first competitive game was a Europa League qualifier on August 2 - has caught up with them. Thursday night's trip to Borussia Monchengladbach and the absence of eight-goal top scorer Andre-Pierre Gignac will do little to help their cause.

Lyon are just one place and one point behind Marseille in the standings. Their only defeat in 13 games in all competition was v Bordeaux (0-2) and came against the run of play.

The visitors are good enough to get a point, so I'd back the draw (3.259/4) or support Lyon on the Asian Handicap.

Best Bet
PSG -1.0 Asian Handicap at Nancy @ 1.9520/21
Other Recommended Bets
Lyon +0&+0.5 Asian Handicap at Marseille @ 2.0421/20;
Valenciennes +1.0 Asian Handicap at Lille @ 1.794/5;
Bastia v Bordeaux Both Teams to Score @ 1.784/5
Montpellier v Nice Both Teams to Score @ 2.021/1;
Nice +0.5&+1.0 Asian Handicap at Montpellier @ 1.9620/21;

James Eastham has made 29.01pts profit from 372pts staked on Ligue 1 matches and outright markets since August 2008 (7.8% ROI). You can follow him on twitter: @james_eastham

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