ANOTHER SHOT AT GLORY

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Ratul Ghosh
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Man city vs leipzig preview

MANCHESTER CITY VS RB LEIPZIG

The UEFA Champions League is back underway and Wednesday night sees two of the three famed clubs from Group A going at it.

Last season’s runners-up Manchester City have overcome their early-season wobble to win three on the trot. Having scored 11 goals and conceded none during that period, Pep Guardiola’s side are getting back to their groove.

 

 

Despite not buying a striker, they have enough firepower to beat any team on any given night. They will know the importance of a good start this time, especially with PSG also in the mix to qualify.

 

 

It has been a rough initiation for Leipzig under new coach Jesse Marsch. They have won one and lost three, including a 4-1 shellacking to Bayern Munich last time. The loss of key personnel has further dented their title hopes as they currently languish in 12th.

 

 

Though they have made some strong purchases over the summer, it does seem like that this season will be a lot different from the previous ones. A tough test awaits in England with Marsch knowing he has to turn the ship around quickly.

 

TEAM NEWS

Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden are still working their way back to full fitness which may see them start on the bench again.

 

 

PROBABLE LINE-UP: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; Gundogan, Fernandinho, Silva; Sterling, Torres, Grealish

 

There are no fresh injury concerns for the German club with Marcel Halstenberg continuing his work back to full fitness.

 

 

PROBABLE LINE-UP: Gulacsi; Klostermann, Orban, Simakan, Angelino; Laimer, Kampl; Nkunku, Olmo, Szoboszlai; Silva

 

GAMECHANGERS

Ferran Torres’ positional switch this season, from the right flank to the central attacker/false 9 has paid rich dividends. He has already scored twice and assisted once, while constantly being one of the most dangerous players on the pitch. He has a passing accuracy of 81.1% along with 5.76 touches in the opponent’s penalty area (both P90).

 

 

Furthermore, he has also been involved in 5 shot-creating actions and two goal-creating actions already, all of which does not bode well for Leipzig. Torres will look to use his electric pace and trickery to run at defenders as well as dropping deep to make space in behind. Though he does not win a lot of headers, if he can isolate the centre-backs or get his shots away quickly, the chances of scoring are high.

 

 

There have not been too many bright spots for Die Roten Bullen so far, with their attackers struggling to breakthrough. Nevertheless, Christopher Nkunku has been trying to change the tone a lot. Though he has not scored or assisted yet, his involvement in the final third has been regular.

He has received 9.10 progressive passes and taken part in 5.56 shot-creating actions P90 on average, both of which put him in the top 10 percentile amongst players of his position across Europe.

 

 

Furthermore, he has also seen action in four goal-creating actions, meaning there will be close attention to him. City’s midfield pushes high up the pitch regularly which means Nkunku can find space to play his distribution game. He has enough pace to run in behind his markers to either pass it on or take shots away.

 

PREDICTIONS

City have both the recent form and the squad strength with them to head into the game as favourites. Leipzig will really have to do something special if they hope to stop the rot at the home of the English champions. FootTheBall predicts a 2-0 win for the Cityzens.

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Ratul Ghosh
Ratul Ghosh
His name means Red and a fan of devilish food, which equals to his favourite team being Manchester United. Can be found sleeping or in front of the TV otherwise. Hates waking up early but loves staying up late for football.

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