Manchester City visits RB Leipzig in a match-up of two teams that headline the massive conglomerate of football clubs that they belong to. Leipzig is the biggest club under the Red Bull GmbH umbrella, a grouping that includes, like City Football Group Limited, a pro football/soccer team in New York City.
Similarly, Man City are the alpha dogs of the group that comprises CFG, so it would make sense that eventually these two clubs might forge an interesting rivalry.
Manchester City at RB Leipzig FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Feb 22, 8pm, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany
Competition: UCL Round of 16, Leg 1/2
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
TV/Stream: BT 1 Sport (UK), Paramount+ (USA)
Google Result Probability: 54% Man City win 24% Extra Time 22% RB Leipzig win
Last Meeting: City won 6-3
Stat Pack: In that last meeting, six different players scored goals, five for City and one OG by Leipzig.
It would be the manifestation of a natural developing rivalry, both on and off the pitch between CFG and Red Bull GmbH, two consortiums that each have several clubs among their list of subsidiaries.
Both we’re not there yet, as on the pitch series is minimal. This will be just the third meeting between the two sides, and you can’t have rivalry unless the two teams involved play each other all the time!
For Man City, they are at pretty much full fitness right now as a squad. There is no “Team News” to report on at this time. Thus, Pep Guardiola can pick a very strong side here, and given what happened on the weekend, you know he will.
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction at RB Leipzig (UCL)
Ederson; Ake, Dias, Laporte, Walker; Rodri, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland
Prediction: Man City 4, RB Leipzig 0
A draw with Nottingham Forest, in the weekend domestic competition, certainly feels like a loss for City. They’ll seek vengeance/redemption in continental competition.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.
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