Manchester City will return to Champions League action for the first time since losing last year’s final. With a strong team, the reigning Premier League champions will be confident of their chances when RB Leipzig come to the Etihad for a group stage clash.
City and manager Pep Guardiola will be happy that their league form has turned around and they’re playing at a very high level right now. With the Spaniard able to put out a strong team, are there any players that could miss out on this game?
Manchester City vs RB Leipzig FYIs:
Kick-off time: 8PM GMT, 15 September Wednesday
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction: Go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Manchester City (LLWWW) RB Leipzig (WLWLL)
The only player that City will have to do without, for certain, is goalkeeper Zack Steffen who is still recovering after having tested positive for COVID. Apart from the American, there are no injury concerns for the team from Manchester.
There is good news with the return of Phil Foden, as the Englishman is expected to be involved in this match. And after being an unused substitute over the weekend against Leicester, Kevin De Bruyne should be back in the starting line-up.
City are in a tough group, one that also has PSG, so they need to start their campaign on the right foot. Leipzig are a team that is capable of hurting the hosts’ defence.
With the likes of Dani Olmo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva, the German side have quite a bit of firepower in attack.
For the hosts, this is a chance for them to mix things up and see how some different combinations are able to play together. There could be some changes that Guardiola has up his sleeve and that may be a factor in the team selection. Regardless of who plays, City should be able to present a formidable threat.
Manchester City badly want to win the Champions League and while the final is a long way away, the first step has to be executed correct.
Beating Leipzig is not going to be easy, but City have the players to take care of the job. All signs point to the hosts securing their first win of the campaign.