Manchester City hosts Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow night in a UCL group stage clash. Both sides have all three points so far in group C competition with City having beaten Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 and Zagreb having vanquished Atalanta 4-0. This will be not only the first ever meeting between the two sides, but the first time that City have ever faced a club from Croatia.
Let’s run through all the requisite team news, stats and information in this one. We start with the hosts, who could be without midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne, after he missed training today. De Bruyne has featured in all of City’s meaningful matches this season so far, but he was subbed off towards the end of the win at Everton on the weekend.
Meanwhile Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is likely to continue on as a centre half, given the injury crisis at that position: John Stones (thigh) and Aymeric Laporte (knee).
City manager Pep Guardiola sized up his opponents, who are winless in seven tries away from home against English sides (5L2D).
“They are aggressive and with long balls to the strikers, they are so strong. We have to be careful,” said Guardiola.
“To play five at the back and score four goals [against Atalanta] is not bad.”
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction vs Dinamo Zagreb (UCL)
Raheem Sterling Sergio Aguero Bernardo Silva
Kevin De Bruyne Ilkay Gundogan David Silva
Oleksandr Zinchenko Nicolas Otamendi Fernandinho Kyle Walker
Ederson
Dinamo Zagreb at Manchester City UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Oct. 1, 8pm City of Manchester Stadium
Pep Guardiola and Rodri press conference video:
Google’s result probability: 90% Manchester City win, 7% draw, 3% Dinamo Zagreb victory
Prediction: Manchester City 3, Dinamo Zagreb 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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