Manchester City will clash heads with RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they focus on advancing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Mancunian giants recorded a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg of the round of 16, so they will need to perform better in order to come out on top.
Pep Guardiola will probably opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI. Kevin De Bruyne could play from the start as Bernardo Silva drops to the bench while Kyle Walker replaces John Stones in the right-back position.
4-2-3-1 Manchester City Predicted XI Vs RB Leipzig
Defence
Ederson will feature in between the sticks for Man City after keeping a clean sheet in his last league outing against Crystal Palace. Ruben Dias will resume his defensive partnership with Manuel Akanji at the centre of Guardiola’s defence as they try to keep the opposition attackers at bay during the game.
Kyle Walker will look to give a good account of himself as the right-back, while Nathan Ake gets a chance to impress as a left-back. Both of them need to defend their penalty box well before trying to create chances going forward.
John Stones and Aymeric Laporte will be named on the bench as they wait for their chance to shine in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Midfield
Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri will operate as the holding midfielders as they try to dominate the game at the centre of the park and engineer enough chances for Man City to win this European contest.
The talented trio of Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden will function just ahead of them as part of Guardiola’s attack. All three of them need to be at the top of their game if Man City are to secure a convincing win at Selhurst Park this weekend.
Kalvin Phillips and Bernardo Silva will have to be content with a spot and might come on to make an impact in the second half if needed.
Attack
Erling Haaland will lead the line for the Mancunian giants on the attacking third of the pitch. The Norway international would be eager to get his name on the scoresheet when he laces up to face off against the Leipzig defenders this midweek.
Julian Alvarez will be named on the bench as he awaits his chance to catch the eye in the final quarter of the game if Man City are in need of a goal by then.
