Manchester City will host RB Leipzig with both teams having qualified for the knockouts of the Champions League. Both teams have already guaranteed their spots in the competition’s knockout round. Nevertheless, Man City leads the section at the moment, three points ahead of Leipzig in second place.
Preview (Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig)
The consecutive Premier League draws with Chelsea and Liverpool on either side of the international break will be remembered as disappointing outcomes because of the high bar that Man City has set in recent years. With a late goal to defeat Brentford in Saturday’s late start, Arsenal ensured Pep Guardiola is not leading the league. With 30 points after 13 games, Mikel Arteta’s team leads the field, followed by Man City with 29 points. Man City’s focus has now shifted to the competition that they notably won last season. They have a significant league matchup against Tottenham Hotspur at home the following weekend.
With four wins and a draw in Group G, the Citizens are unbeaten in the 2023–24 tournament. They sit atop the standings with 12 points, and a win or a draw against Leipzig at home on Tuesday would guarantee them the top spot in the group heading into their final match away to Red Star Belgrade the following month. When the two teams faced off in Germany back in October, Man City defeated Leipzig 3-1. Since then, Guardiola’s club has not suffered a loss in the Champions League.
Leipzig notably advanced to the 2019–20 Champions League semi-finals before falling to Paris Saint-Germain. With two games remaining, Marco Rose’s team has confirmed their place in the competition’s knockout phase. They defeated Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade twice in Group G. With nine points from four games, the team is in second place in the section. Leipzig must triumph on Tuesday in order to take the lead in the group. Man City hasn’t lost at home in the European Cup since August 2020. Rose’s team has only actually won one of their past four away games, suffering three defeats in the process.
Team News
Jack Grealish may make a comeback for Man City in this encounter after missing the weekend’s match against Liverpool due to illness. After recent injury concerns, both Sergio Gomez and John Stones were back on the bench on Saturday. However, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were not there, and both players are still a serious doubt for this game. Meanwhile, Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne is recovering from a major hamstring injury and should be back in action early in 2019.
Josko Gvardiol might make a return to the starting lineup for this game, but Guardiola is expected to make several changes as he looks to secure first place in the group. Most of the players who started the match against Liverpool will likely play again. Due to injuries, Leipzig will be missing the services of four players: El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Willi Orban, Dani Olmo, and Timo Werner. Emil Forsberg is anticipated to start in a wide position if head coach Rose decides to make only one change from his team’s league game over the weekend.
Alongside Lois Openda, Yussuf Poulsen is expected to play in the latter third of the field after scoring against Wolfsburg. Xavi Simons, who has been in great form for the German team this season, will make another start. In 19 games across all competitions, he has eight assists and six goals.
Manchester City 3 – 1 RB Leipzig
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