Manchester City are going for their third straight UCL group stage win tomorrow night when they welcome Shakhtar Donetsk to the Etihad. City are once again asserting dominance domestically, given the massive goal differential they have piled up in Premier League competition.
They only have a two point lead on Chelsea at the top of the table, but they do have a +10 goal differential on the Blues. Now the Cityzens are looking to export their dominant style of football to the rest of Europe. City is on the brink of their sixth straight UCL knockout round appearance, looking to go further ahead than last season.
Let’s take a look at who Pep Guardiola could field in his first team.
The Bank’s Manchester City Starting XI Prediction
Forwards: Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling
Midfielders: Riyad Mahrez Fernandinho Phil Foden
Defenders: Fabian Delph Danilo Vincent Kompany Kyle Walker
Goalkeeper: Ederson
Manchester City vs Shakhtar Donetsk FYIs
Press Conference videos, quotes: coming soon
Injury Report for Both Teams: go to this link
Kickoff/TV: Wednesday November 7, 8pm BST, 3PM EST, BT Sport 3, TNT
Odds via Bet365: Manchester City 1/9, Shakhtar Donetsk 25/1, draw 10/1
Prediction: Manchester City 2, Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.