Manchester City will begin their Champions League knockout campaign on Wednesday night by travelling to Germany to play the first leg of their last-16 match against RB Leipzig.
Team Form
RB Leipzig
After losing their first two games to Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid, Leipzig’s chances of making it out of the Champions League group stage looked bleak.
However, the German team recovered to win their final four games, including an impressive 3-2 home victory over Los Blancos and qualifying as Group F runners-up.
Those four victories occurred between October 1 and February 11 during a remarkable 18-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, ultimately ending with a 2-1 Bundesliga home defeat to Union Berlin.
Yet last Saturday, Marco Rose’s team won again, cruising to a 3-0 victory away at Wolfsburg to maintain them in contention for the Bundesliga crown. With 13 games left, Leipzig is ranked fifth in the standings, although only five points separate the top six teams.
RB Leipzig UCL Form: L L W W W W
RB Leipzig Form (All Competition): W W D L W
Manchester City
Man City suffered a setback in their bid to defend their Premier League title on Saturday when they were forced to a 1-1 draw away at Nottingham Forest, only three days after defeating Premier League title rivals Arsenal 3-1 on the road.
In addition to dropping seven points in as many Premier League games, Pep Guardiola’s team has also lost four of its past five away games. They are two points behind league-leading Arsenal.
The pressure is on Guardiola to lead City to success for the first time in their history as they prepare to compete in the Champions League once again. Guardiola previously admitted in December that his tenure as City manager will not be “complete” if he fails to win Europe’s premier club competition.
Man City UCL Form: W W W D D W
Man City Form (All Competition): W L W W D
Squad Report
RB Leipzig
Peter Gulacsi (ACL), Dani Olmo (thigh), and Abdou Diallo (knee) will be out of action for Leipzig owing to injuries.
Still, Konrad Laimer and Christopher Nkunku, who both played off the bench last weekend, have given the Germans reason for optimism regarding their health.
Nkunku made his much-anticipated comeback after missing three months due to a knee injury, but it is unclear if he will be ready to start on Wednesday.
Man City
Except for John Stones, who is still sidelined while recovering from a hamstring injury, Guardiola has a fully fit roster.
RB Leipzig’s possible starting lineup:
Blaswich; Klostermann, Orban, Gvardiol, Raum; Schlager, Laimer; Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Werner; Silva
Manchester City’s possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Ake; Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Head to Head
A total of 12 goals have been scored in the two UEFA Champions League games between Manchester City and RB Leipzig, with each team winning one match.
In their last 17 UEFA Champions League games against German opponents, Manchester City has only suffered one loss and has amassed 44 goals.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Wednesday, February 22
Time: 08:00 pm, UK time
Venue: Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
Prediction
Man City haven’t been playing their best lately, except for the victory over Arsenal on the road. This Wednesday’s game could be no different, as Leipzig has previously proven to be a threat in the future against the Citizens.
Yet, City often bounces back from dismal performances, so we anticipate Guardiola’s star players to be the difference in a tight match in Germany.
