After ceding the top spot on the Premier League table following their 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, Man City will be looking to get their round-of-16 tie against RB Leipzig off to a good start when they travel to the Red Bull Arena Leipzig on Wednesday at 20:00 GMT.
Pep Guardiola will be looking to return his side to winning ways after they surprisingly dropped 2 points at Forest.
Leipzig, fresh from the 3-0 demolition of Wolfsburg, will be hoping to extend this good form against Man City as they bid to make a good start to this two-legged tie against one of the Champions league favorites this season.
Key Highlights
RB Leipzig’s Inconsistency
Leipzig have blown hot and cold this season. This inconsistency has seen them 5th on the table, one point behind the side in 4th place, and occupying the final Champions League qualifying spot in the Bundesliga.
Marco Rose will look to fix any weaknesses his side have in preparation for the clash with Man City. The focus will be on concentration, dynamism, compactness, and being clinical in front of the goal once chances come their way.
Rose will know that they are hosting a world-class team and players, and they will need to be at their best to get anything from the game.
Man City’s Champions League Quest
No sooner had they taken the top spot from Arsenal than they relinquished it in the next match. This has been an uncharacteristic Man City season given the standards they have set in recent years.
This is when Guardiola’s charge shit their stride and put together a run that makes it impossible for anyone to catch them in the run-in.
However, this season has seen them drop sloppy points like the two at Forest, making their fight with Arsenal harder.
However, Guardiola and City fans will feel like the Champions League is the Holy Grail. This is where they want to succeed the most this season, especially after their dominance of the Premier League in recent years.
Injury Report
RB Leipzig
Marco Rose will be without goalkeeper Péter Gulácsi (cruciate ligament rupture), center-back Abdou Diallo (knee problems), and attacking midfielder Dani Olmo (torn muscle fiber).
Leipzig will also be assessing the fitness of forward Christopher Nkunku on whether to start after returning from injury.
Man City
Pep Guardiola will be choosing from his full squad ahead of his side’s travel to the Red Bull Arena Leipzig on Wednesday.
This will boost the Spanish tactician as he bids to balance his side between the pursuit of the Champions League and the fight for the Premier League.
Guardiola will be looking to rotate from the side that faced Forest and dropped two points as he bids to make a strong start to this two-legged tie.
Possible Lineups
RB Leipzig
J. Blaswich; D. Raum, J. Gvardiol, W. Orban, L. Klostermann; X. Schlager, A. Haidara; T. Werner, E. Forsberg, D. Szoboszlai; A. Silva
Man City
Ederson; B. Silva, N. Ake, R. Dias, K. Walker; Rodri; J. Grealish, I. Gundogan, K. De Bruyne, R. Mahrez; E. Haaland
Prediction
RB Leipzig will focus on packing the midfield to ensure that they are not only compact but not outnumbered. This will allow the home side to stifle Man City’s passing range, force them wide, and minimize the number of times they penetrate.
Man City will look to dominate the ball and the tempo and use precision passing to open Leipzig up and create chances.
Man City are favored to win the match and take the lead to the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.
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