Manchester City v Red Star Belgrade Betting Tips [19 September 2023]

European champions Manchester City start their title defence on Tuesday with a home game against Red Star Belgrade in Group G. These two will play in a group that also has German side RB Leipzig and Swiss team, Young Boys. Manchester City warmed up for this game with a 3-1 comeback win over West Ham in the Premier League. The hosts trailed at half time in a game their lead striker Erling Haaland struggled. The Norwegian would however find the net four minutes from time to extend his good scoring form. Last season, Haaland was the lead scorer in the Champions League. He failed to score in the semis and final, but still emerged top scorer with 12 goals. City, who haven't lost any of their six matches this term will be counting on him for the goals. In their last 13 Champions League matches, Manchester City are unbeaten.

Red Star Belgrade will not enter this game in their best possible form. In their recent matches, they have been wobbly, a far cry from their bright start to the season. The visitors opened their season with four straight wins and impressed defensively. They conceded just once in a comfortable win during that run. However, in recent times, they’ve struggled to cope. Coming into this game, they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Cukaricki; their second defeat in three matches. Playing City right now is the worst possible time for them, especially looking at their defensive performances. They’ve conceded six times in the last three matches, compared to once in the earlier four games. However, they will be confident in their scoring run, having netted in each of their seven matches thus far.

Red Star Belgrade are coming into this game clearly as the underdogs. They will be concerned about their defensive performances lately as they face a City side on a good scoring run. Erling Haaland has been consistent in scoring for City and will be the man to watch here. Our prediction for Manchester City v Red Star Belgrade is for Erling Haaland to score.