The two teams at the top of Group G, Manchester City and RB Leipzig, will lock horns in the Champions League today at the Etihad Stadium.
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.
Man City have a huge league fixture at home against Tottenham Hotspur this 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 today 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 today 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.
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 MatheusNunes were absent, and the pair remain major doubts for this contest.
Leipzig, meanwhile, will be without the services of four players due to injury, with Timo Werner, DaniOlmo, WilliOrban and El ChadailleBitshiabu unavailable for selection.
