There’s plenty for Pep Guardiola to consider as Manchester City look to put Saturday’s disappointing defeat to Wolves to one side with victory in the Champions League.
Losing streaks aren’t exactly synonymous with this all-conquering City outfit, and they have their work cut out if they’re to avoid their third successive defeat on Wednesday.
Their upcoming Champions League opponents, RB Leipzig, have started the season strongly and haven’t been beaten since Matchday 1 of the Bundesliga season. Buoyed by the effusiveness of youth, Marco Rose’s side will be looking to avenge the 7-0 thrashing they suffered at the Etihad last season.
Here’s how City could lineup for their upcoming Champions League Group G fixture.
GK: Ederson – Guardiola may tinker with his lineup after Saturday’s defeat, but Ederson will not be losing his place.
RB: Kyle Walker – The return of John Stones will allow Guardiola to be more flexible in regards to selection down the right side of City’s defence, but Walker is the indisputable starter while Stones remains out.
CB: Manuel Akanji – The boss could opt for a different combination at the heart of his defence, but Akanji needs to be involved against this speedy Leipzig attack given his impressive recovery pace.
CB: Ruben Dias – The leader of this City defence will be expected to start their next two significant encounters.
LB: Josko Gvardiol – Nathan Ake didn’t enjoy his outing against Pedro Neto on Saturday, so Gvardiol should come back in against his former club and start at left-back.
CM: Rodri – Don’t worry, Cityzens, he’s back – even if it is only briefly. City have struggled in Rodri’s absence, but he’s not suspended for their upcoming Champions League fixture.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – Either Kovacic or Matheus Nunes will make way for Rodri on Wednesday. It’s more likely to be the latter given his struggles at Molineux.
AM: Julian Alvarez – The superb Argentine has stepped up in a big way in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence and is one of the first names on Guardiola’s teamsheet.
RW: Phil Foden – This perhaps isn’t where we’ll see Foden at his best, unless Walker overlaps relentlessly, but the masterful Englishman will likely continue down the right if Bernardo Silva doesn’t return from injury.
ST: Erling Haaland – It’s fair to say Haaland enjoyed his most recent outing against Leipzig as he scored just the five in a 7-0 thrashing, but the German’s backline is almost recognisable from their last matchup.
LW: Jack Grealish – Jeremy Doku is stealing some of Grealish’s minutes, but the England international could be rotated back into the side after the Belgian played the entirety of Saturday’s defeat.
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