Manchester City takes on German side RB Leipzig in what is, essentially, a dead rubber for the English side. It is the early kick-off on Tuesday night for Pep Guardiola’s men, so they will be back home in bed perhaps before the later kick-off games are completed.
This game will hold no fears for Manchester City. They accounted for Leipzig with ease back on the first matchday of the 2021 Champions League in a match where there was an incredible 9 goals scored. In that match, a Christopher Nkunku hat trick broke up Manchester City’s six goals.
Both of these sides rank high in xG in the Champions League this season. Manchester City ranks in the top 5 across the entire competition, only bested by Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and, somewhat surprisingly, Leipzig’s sister club RB Salzburg.
RB Leipzig vs Manchester City FYIs:
Kick-off time: 5.45 PM GMT, 7th December 2021
Man City Team News: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): RB Leipzig (WLWLL) Man City (WWWWW)
It’s crystal ball time, and I am going to have some fun with it this time around. There will definitely be some heavy rotations to the regular starting XI, and I am going to lean into that. So, with that in mind, read on to find out who will take the pitch for the Citizens against RB Leipzig.
Zack Steffen will line up between the posts in this one. I have waxed lyrical about the skill set of his Brazillian counterpart at Manchester City, but goalkeepers need rest too and I think that’s exactly what will happen here as Ederson sits on the bench.
The center-half pairing will be different too. I think John Stones, who was tremendous last season, and Dutchman Nathan Ake will start giving Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte a well-deserved rest.
Kyle Walker will line up at right-back. The 31-year-old is one of the few England Euro 2020 regulars not to suffer from a severe dip in form. Quite the opposite, in fact, he is in the form of his life. Oleksandr will slot in at left-back to give Joao Cancelo a rest.
I am picking Manchester City captain Fernandinho to get a rare start here, with Rodri being rested. There will be no shortage of quality joining him in the center of the park with Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne playing ahead of him.
Upfront I am thinking youngster Cole Palmer will line up as the focal point of the attack. Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling will line up either side of him.
I think that there may be an upset here. RB Leipzig has more to play for, and I think they might just pick up a victory here and qualify for the Europa League.