Preview: Manchester City vs. RB Leipzig - prediction, team news, lineups

Both sides have already booked their spot in the knockout round of the competition, but first spot in the section is yet to be decided, with Man City currently top, three points clear of second-placed Leipzig.

Match preview

Such are the standards that have been set by Man City in recent years, the back-to-back Premier League draws with Chelsea and Liverpool either side of the international break will go down as disappointing results.

Pep Guardiola's side are not currently the team leading the division, that honour is Arsenal's, with the Gunners scoring late to beat Brentford in Saturday's late start; Mikel Arteta's side are at the summit on 30 points, with Man City currently second on 29 points after 13 matches.

Man City have a huge league fixture at home to Tottenham Hotspur next weekend, but their attention has now switched to the competition that they famously won last season.

The Citizens are yet to miss a step in the 2023-24 tournament, winning all four of their Group G fixtures to sit at the summit on 12 points, and a win or a draw at home to Leipzig on Tuesday would see them secure first position in the group ahead of their final game away to Red Star Belgrade next month.

Man City beat Leipzig 3-1 when the two sides locked horns in Germany back in October, and Guardiola's team have not lost in the Champions League since the famous 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of their semi-final during the 2021-22 campaign.

Leipzig famously reached the semi-finals of the 2019-20 Champions League, losing to Paris Saint-Germain, and they have since made the round of 16 on a further two occasions, three if this season is included.

Marco Rose's side have beaten Red Star Belgrade twice in Group G, in addition to Young Boys, with nine points from four matches leaving them in second position in the section, and their spot in the knockout round of the competition has been secured with two games left.

Leipzig need to win on Tuesday to stand a chance of claiming first position in the group, but Man City have not been beaten at home in the European Cup since August 2020, which is an indication of the size of the away team's task in this contest.

The Red Bulls will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, with the result leaving them in fifth position in the table.

Rose's team have only actually won one of their last four matches on their travels, suffering three defeats in the process, and they will be up against it on Tuesday against a Man City side that will be aiming to bounce back from their home draw with Liverpool in the Premier League.

Manchester City Champions League form:

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Manchester City form (all competitions):

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RB Leipzig Champions League form:

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RB Leipzig form (all competitions):

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Team News

Man City could welcome Jack Grealish back into their squad for this match, with the attacker missing out against Liverpool at the weekend due to illness.

John Stones and Sergio Gomez were both back on the bench on Saturday after recent injury issues, but Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes were absent, and the pair remain major doubts for this contest.

Kevin De Bruyne is working his way back from a serious hamstring problem, meanwhile, with the Belgium international on course to return in the early stages of next year.

Josko Gvardiol could potentially come back into the side for this match, but Guardiola will be desperate to get first spot in the group wrapped up, so further changes are unlikely, with the bulk of the team that started against Liverpool set to take to the field once again.

Leipzig, meanwhile, will be without the services of four players due to injury, with Timo Werner, Dani Olmo, Willi Orban and El Chadaille Bitshiabu unavailable for selection.

Head coach Rose could also make just the one change from his team's weekend league match, with Emil Forsberg expected to be included in a wide position.

Yussuf Poulsen was on the scoresheet against Wolfsburg and is set to feature in the final third of the field alongside Lois Openda.

Meanwhile, there will be another start for Xavi Simons, who has been in excellent form for the German club this season, scoring six goals and registering eight assists in 19 appearances in all competitions.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Akanji; Foden, Alvarez, B Silva, Doku; Haaland

RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:

Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Simons, Schlager, Haidara, Forsberg; Openda, Poulsen

We say: Manchester City 3-1 RB Leipzig

Leipzig are a talented outfit and more than deserve their spot in the knockout round of the competition, but we are finding it very difficult to back them to pick up a positive result in this match. Man City will be looking to secure first spot in the group and should again have too much quality for the Bundesliga side here.

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