Manchester City will host Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad in a UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday, looking to bounce back from the defeat against Newcastle United.
Manchester City have been quite inconsistent this season, and they will look to put together a winning run now, starting with the game vs Bayer Leverkusen. They failed to challenge for major trophies last season, and Manchester City will be expected to compete at the highest level. They need to win these games if they want to do well in the Champions League.
They have picked up 10 points from four matches, and they will look to pick up a victory here.
Meanwhile, the German outfit are coming into this game on the back of five wins from the last six matches in all competitions. However, they have picked up just one win in the Champions League so far. They will look to pick up their second win of the tournament here and pull off an upset away from home.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
Rodri (hamstring) and Mateo Kovacic (ankle) will remain sidelined for the hosts. Manchester City will shape up in their usual 4-1-4-1 formation, with Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.
Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and hit Leverkusen on the counter. Meanwhile, Ruben Dias will start alongside Josko Gvardiol in central defence.
Nico Gonzalez will start in the middle of the park, and he will look to dictate the tempo of the game from the deep. Tijjani Reijnders and Phil Foden will start as the advanced playmakers, and they will add creativity to the side.
Savinho and Jeremy Doku will add pace, flair and goals from the flanks, with Erling Haaland leading the line for Manchester City.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Gonzalez; Doku, Reijnders, Foden, Savinho; Haaland
Bayer Leverkusen
The away team has a number of injury problems heading into this game. They will be without multiple key players. Lucas Vázquez, Alejandro Grimaldo, Ezequiel Fernandez, and Axel Tape are all ruled out with injuries. Robert Andrich is suspended. Jonas Hofmann, Exequiel Palacios and Alejo Sarco are ineligible for Champions League selection.
Bayer Leverkusen will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal.
In the back three, Jarell Quansah will start alongside Loic Bade and Edmond Tapsoba. Arthur and Jeanuel Belocian will start as the wing-backs. They will help out defensively and look to hit City on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Aleix Garcia and Ibrahim Maza will start in the middle of the park. They will add control and composure to the side.
Ernest Poku and Claudio Echeverri will start as the attacking midfielders. They will look to create opportunities in the final third with flair, vision and technique. They could drift out as the wide players as well.
Christian Kofane will lead the line for Bayer Leverkusen.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Flekken; Quansah, Bade, Tapsoba; Arthur, Garcia, Maza, Belocian; Poku, Echeverri; Kofane
Key Stats
Manchester City has picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
Bayer Leverkusen have picked up five wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
Bayer Leverkusen have conceded 10 goals in four Champions League matches this season.
Manchester City have scored 10 goals in four Champions League matches this season.
Player to Watch
Erling Haaland
Embed from Getty Images
Manchester City have been overly dependent on the Norwegian striker this season, and they will expect him to make a defining contribution in the final third so that they can pick up a win at home. Haaland is in spectacular form right now, and he will look to find the back of the net here. He will also look to open up opportunities for his teammates.
Leverkusen can be quite inconsistent defensively, and they have conceded six goals in the last five matches. Haaland has the quality to punish them at the back.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Both teams will look to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be an open game with a fair few chances. Neither team is defensive in their approach. Manchester City have more quality in the final third, and they should be able to exploit the German outfit’s defensive vulnerabilities. A comfortable home win is on the cards for the Premier League side.