Man City v RB Leipzig – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Man City host RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League last 16 second-leg on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola is chasing his first title in this competition since 2012 and his side come into the match after a 1-1 first-leg draw in Germany.

Man City Form

City have lost just once in 12 matches in all competitions, their annual loss away at Tottenham (1-0). They bounced back from that loss to beat Aston Villa 3-1 at home and then 3-1 at Arsenal to go top of the table. Their inconsistency (by their standards) was shown by drawing 1-1 at Nottingham Forest a few days later. The first leg 1-1 draw at RB Leipzig followed, having led 1-0 with 69 minutes played.

Four successive wins have followed, three in the league and one in the FA Cup. A 4-1 win at Bournemouth preceded a 3-0 victory at Bristol City. They then beat Newcastle 2-0 at home. Last time out, they toiled at Crystal Palace but eventually won a penalty to squeeze out a 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park.

Man City Team News

City have no injuries to worry about. Guardiola has to decide whether he uses four defenders and if he recalls Kyle Walker after his off-field problems. John Stones played in that inverted right-back role against Crystal Palace. Nathan Ake is expected to play as the left back if a four-man defence line is chosen.

Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez will compete to start down the right. Mahrez scored in the first leg and Foden had a shocker on Saturday. Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne are competing for two spots in midfield.

Man City Motivation

100%. This competition is the top priority and City will be desperate to proceed and fully focused on the task at hand.

They will attack but also set up to stop counters, likely with at least one inverted fullback used.

RB Leipzig Form

RB Leipzig went 18 matches unbeaten from September, 13 before the World cup and five matches after the resumption. Two losses have followed in their last six matches, starting with a 2-1 home defeat to title rivals, Union Berlin. They drew 1-1 with Man City three weeks ago as Josko Gvardiol netted a 70th-minute equaliser.

They responded by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 before losing 2-1 at Dortmund in another key match in the title race. Over the weekend, the Red Bulls beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 at home. Timo Werner, a penalty from Emil Forsberg and a late Gvardiol goal sealed the win. They sit seven points off Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

RB Leipzig Team News

Peter Gulacsi remains injured in goal with Janis Blaswich set to start in place of the captain. Christopher Nkunku has had another injury setback and misses this clash. Spanish attacker Dani Olmo has returned in recent days and will boost options.

Abdou Diallo remains a doubt with a knee injury in central defence. Central midfielder Xaver Schlager misses out. Coach Marco Rose must decide whether to start Andre Silva upfront or use Olmo, Forsberg or Werner for their movement.

RB Leipzig Motivation

Leipzig are fully focused on this match with the title a long shot in Germany. They will try to attack in this match especially if Marco Rose selects a front four.

If they score first and City have to open up, the Red Bulls will be very dangerous on the break.

Key Stats

City are 9 matches unbeaten a home vs German clubs

Man City are unbeaten in the UCL at the Etihad since September 2018

City have won 8 of their last 9 home matches in the Champions League (27 goals scored)

The last 3 meetings between these teams have seen Both Teams to Score

RB Leipzig have lost just 2 of their last 26 matches (19 wins, 5 draws)

Leipzig have seen Both Teams Scoring in 8 of their last 11 matches

Verdict

City are very strong at home in this competition and average three goals per match. Both sides should score in this one but Guardiola’s side have too much.

Best Bet: Man City win and Over 2.5 goals at 1.90

Value Bet: Man City win and Haaland first goalscorer at 3.91

Alternative Bet: Man City to score over 2.5 goals at 2.20

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis