Red-hot Aguero 3-1 to strike first in second leg

SPORTS BETTING: MANCHESTER City’s Capital One Cup hopes hang in the balance going into tonight’s semi-final second leg against Everton.

City trail 2-1 from the first leg at Goodison Park and are 8-11 to overturn that scoreline and qualify for the final, with the Toffees 5-4 for a trip to Wembley.

As for the match, City are 8-15 to win in 90 minutes, with Everton 11-2 and the draw 4-1.

City’s master marksman Sergio Aguero is 3-1 to open the scoring, while the shortest-priced Everton player in this market is centre forward Romelu Lukaku at 7-1.

League results didn’t go too badly for City at the weekend, even though a 2-2 draw at West Ham would have been improved on had it not been for shambolic defending.

Leicester’s bandwagon rolled on with their 3-0 home win over Stoke, but it was Arsenal’s 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea that would have most interested City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

Popular opinion is that the Gunners are City’s main rivals for the title and the current odds reflect that. City are 13-10 favourites to win back the title, while Arsenal are 2-1 and Tottenham and leaders Leicester 9-1.

Manchester United, 1-0 losers at home to Southampton on Saturday, are out to a massive 50-1 to take the title and their boss, Louis van Gaal, is a man under serious pressure at 4-9 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to go.

Friday night’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Derby is crucial to Van Gaal, who would surely be heading for the exit door were United to lose.

United are even money to win at Pride Park, with the hosts 3-1 and the draw 12-5.

As for the competition as a whole, City are favourites at 5-1, followed by Arsenal and Chelsea (this column’s recommendation at 7-1), United at 8-1 and Liverpool 12s.