Leipzig vs Man City match facts

Manchester City are aiming to reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth season in succession as they visit Leipzig, who are in the knockout rounds for the third time in four seasons.

While City stayed unbeaten in winning Group G by five points to reach the knockout rounds for the tenth season in a row, qualifying with two games to spare, Leipzig had to wait until Matchday 6 to clinch their spot as Group F runners-up.

This is the second season running in which the teams have crossed paths in the UEFA Champions League and the third time Leipzig have faced English opposition in as many round of 16 ties.

Previous meetings

Leipzig and City were in the same group last season, the English club winning 6-3 in Manchester on Matchday 1 thanks to goals from Nathan Aké (16), a Nordi Mukiele own goal (28), Riyad Mahrez (45+2pen), Jack Grealish (56), João Cancelo (75) and Gabriel Jesus (85). Christopher Nkunku (42, 51, 73) scored all three of Leipzig's goals, becoming only the fourth player in UEFA Champions League history to end on the losing side after hitting a hat-trick.

Leipzig were 2-1 winners at home to City on Matchday 6, securing third place in Group A thanks to goals in each half from Dominik Szoboszlai (24) and André Silva (71), Mahrez getting the visitors' 76th-minute consolation.

Form guide

Leipzig

The first team to make their European debut in the group stage, in 2017/18, Leipzig are featuring in the UEFA Champions League proper for the fifth time in six years.

This is their third campaign to have extended into the knockout stages, Leipzig reaching the semi-finals in 2019/20 before losing 3-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in a one-off tie in Lisbon.

The German club missed out on the knockout stages in 2021/22, ending third in Group A behind City and Paris despite scoring 15 goals in their six games and recording their biggest European victory, 5-0 at Club Brugge on Matchday 5.

With Domenico Tedesco having replaced Jesse Marsch as head coach, Leipzig went on to beat Real Sociedad (2-2 h, 3-1 a), Spartak Moskva (walkover) and Atalanta (1-1 h, 2-0 a) in the UEFA Europa League before being eliminated by Rangers in the semi-finals (1-0 h, 1-3 a).

Leipzig lost 4-1 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 1 this season, and two days later Tedesco made way for Marco Rose. The German club went down 2-0 at Real Madrid in their second fixture but subsequently won the next four, sealing second place in Group F behind the holders with a 4-0 win against Shakhtar in Poland on Matchday 6.

The Matchday 1 loss against Shakhtar is one of only two in the German team's last 15 European games at their own stadium (W9 D4); they beat Celtic 3-1 on Matchday 3 and, in their most recent outing, Madrid 3-2.

Fourth in the 2021/22 Bundesliga, their lowest league finish since 2017/18, Leipzig ended the campaign with their first major silverware, defeating Freiburg 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the DFB-Pokal final.

This is only Leipzig's ninth game against a Premier League club, their overall record standing at W4 L4. They have won all three of their games with English visitors in Leipzig.

Leipzig's record in two-legged knockout ties against English sides is W1 L1, both in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. They beat Tottenham 4-0 on aggregate (1-0 a, 3-0 h) in 2019/20 but lost 2-0 twice to Liverpool at the same stage of the 2020/21 competition with both matches played in Budapest.

Manchester City

This is City's 12th UEFA Champions League group campaign, all in succession; they have featured every season from 2011/12 onwards.

Including this season, the Manchester club's last ten campaigns have all stretched into the knockout rounds, their best performance coming in 2020/21 when they reached a first European Cup final only to lose 1-0 to fellow English side Chelsea in Porto.

In 2021/22, City finished first in Group A on 12 points, one ahead of Paris, having won four of their six games. They then beat Sporting CP (5-0 a, 0-0 h) and Atlético de Madrid (1-0 h, 0-0 a) but were eliminated by eventual champions Real Madrid in the semi-finals (4-3 h, 1-3 a aet).

This season the Manchester club scored 11 goals in winning their first three games, sealing qualification with a goalless draw at Copenhagen on Matchday 4. They were also held 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund in their next fixture before a 3-1 home victory against Sevilla.

Pep Guardiola's side have now finished first in their UEFA Champions League group for six successive seasons.

The Cityzens have won 15 of their last 26 away European matches (D6 L5).

City won their fourth Premier League title in five seasons in 2021/22, the club's eighth league title overall – and sixth since 2011/12.

City have featured in the round of 16 every season from 2013/14 onwards. Their record at this stage is W6 L3, all six wins after playing the first leg away, all three losses after playing the home leg first. Last season's win against Sporting was their fifth successive last-16 victory.

City have already faced German opposition this season, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Matchday 2 – their ninth successive home victory against Bundesliga teams – before a 0-0 away draw on Matchday 5 that made their record away to German clubs overall W7 D2 L7.

City's 14-match unbeaten run against German clubs – with 13 victories – was ended by the 2-1 loss in Leipzig on Matchday 6 last season. It was their first defeat by a Bundesliga club since a 1-0 reverse at Bayern München in September 2014.

The Manchester club lost six of their first eight away games against German clubs (W2) but have been beaten in only one of the last eight (W5 D2), winning four in a row before losing in Leipzig.

Guardiola's side beat Dortmund 2-1 home and away in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, making City's record in two-legged ties against German clubs W4 L2 with victories in the last three – all in the UEFA Champions League.

This is City's third meeting with German opponents in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. They beat Schalke 10-2 on aggregate in 2018/19 – a 7-0 second-leg win their biggest at home in UEFA competition – and Rose's Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-0 in 2020/21, both games played in Budapest.

Links and trivia

Have played in England:
Timo Werner (Chelsea 2020–22)
Péter Gulácsi (Liverpool 2007–13, Hereford 2009 loan, Tranmere 2010 loan, Hull 2011/12 loan)
Ørjan Nyland (Aston Villa 2018–20, Norwich 2021, Bournemouth 2021/22, Reading 2022)

Werner was in the Chelsea side that beat City 1-0 in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final.

Have played in Germany:
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund 2020–22)
İlkay Gündoğan (Bochum 2005–09, Nürnberg 2009–11, Borussia Dortmund 2011–16)
Kevin De Bruyne (Werder Bremen 2012/13 loan, Wolfsburg 2014–15)
Stefan Ortega (Arminia Bielefeld 2007–14, 2017–22, 1860 München 2014–17)
Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund 2018–22)
Sergio Gómez (Borussia Dortmund 2018–21)

International team-mates:
Marcel Halstenberg, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Timo Werner & İlkay Gündoğan (Germany)
Dani Olmo & Rodri, Aymeric Laporte (Spain)
André Silva & Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva (Portugal)
Ørjan Nyland & Erling Haaland (Norway)

Guardiola was Bayern coach between 2013 and 2016, winning the Bundesliga in all three of his seasons in charge. He never faced Leipzig.

John Stones scored past Gulácsi in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier between England and Hungary at Wembley on 12 October 2021 (1-1). Three other City players started the game for the home team – Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden – while Dominik Szoboszlai started for the visitors.

Szoboszlai's penalty earned Hungary a 1-0 UEFA Nations League win against England in Budapest on 4 June; Walker and substitutes Stones, Grealish and Kalvin Phillips were in the visitors' line-up, Gulácsi and Willi Orbán starting for the hosts.

Haaland scored two goals and set up another as Norway beat Sweden 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League on 12 June; Emil Forsberg scored one of the Swedes' goals.

City striker Julián Álvarez scored twice for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup semi-final against a Croatia side featuring Leipzig defender Joško Gvardiol, the eventual champions winning 3-0.

Latest news

Leipzig

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Daniel Ihendu*, Ørjan Nyland, Winners Osawe*
Out: Péter Gulácsi, Hugo Novoa
*B list

On 4 January Novoa extended his contract with Leipzig until 2025 and subsequently joined Swiss side Basel on an 18-month loan.

Leipzig's record in all competitions since Matchday 6 is W7 D2 L1. They were 3-0 winners at Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Marco Rose's team were unbeaten in 18 games (W14 D4) until a 2-1 home loss against Union Berlin on 11 February. It was Leipzig's fifth successive 2-1 league defeat against Union.

On 1 February holders Leipzig reached the quarter-finals of the German Cup with a 3-1 win against Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim, Konrad Laimer scoring his first goal of the season.

Dominik Szoboszlai scored both goals in a 2-1 win against Stuttgart on 27 January. Both Laimer and Szoboszlai were on target at the weekend, the Hungarian making it three goals in his last four Bundesliga appearances.

Leipzig equalled their highest Bundesliga away victory with a 6-1 success at Schalke on 24 January in which André Silva scored twice and Yussuf Poulsen got his first league goal of the season.

Benjamin Henrichs also opened his Bundesliga account for the season at Schalke and was also on target against Union.

Marcel Halstenberg registered his first Leipzig goal this season in a 1-1 draw against Bayern München on 20 January.

Dani Olmo, who scored his second Bundesliga goal this season at Schalke, has been out since 27 January with a thigh injury.

Abdou Diallo, who was an unused substitute against Bayern, is yet to play in 2023 because of a knee problem.

Christopher Nkunku returned as a second-half substitute on Saturday having been out since 15 November with a knee injury and missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With 12 goals he is still the Bundesliga's second top scorer this season, behind Bremen's Niclas Füllkrug (13).

Gulácsi has been sidelined since 5 October with a knee injury.

Mohamed Simakan has extended his contract until 2027, while Sanoussy Ba signed his first professional contract until 2025 in November.

Man City

UEFA Champions League squad changes
In: Máximo Perrone
Out: João Cancelo

Perrone joined City from Argentinian side Vélez Sarsfield while Cancelo will spend the rest of the season on loan at Bayern München.

City's record in all competitions since Matchday 6 is W11 D2 L4.

The English champions went top of the Premier League for the first time since 5 November with a 3-1 victory at previous leaders Arsenal on 15 February.

However, City slipped behind Arsenal again on Saturday, when they were held 1-1 at Nottingham Forest, Bernardo Silva opening the scoring with his first goal since August.

Erling Haaland scored City's third goal at Arsenal, his 26th in the Premier League this season – the joint most by a Manchester City player in a single campaign in the competition, alongside Sergio Agüero in 2014/15.

Kevin De Bruyne – who scored City's first – set up Haaland's goal. It was the Belgian's sixth assist for the Norwegian, more than any other combination in the Premier League this season.

A 1-0 loss at Tottenham on 5 February was City's fourth Premier League defeat of the season, one more than in the whole of 2021/22.

Pep Guardiola's side have 52 points after 24 Premier League games this season, eight fewer than at the same stage in 2021/22.

City were knocked out of the English League Cup by a 2-0 quarter-final loss at Southampton on 11 January.

Home wins against Chelsea (4-0) and Arsenal (1-0) have taken City into the FA Cup fifth round; they will visit Championship club Bristol City in the last 16 on 28 February.

John Stones has been out since being replaced just before half-time in the FA Cup win against Arsenal on 27 January with a thigh injury.

Julián Álvarez appeared in all seven games, the last five in the starting XI, as Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, scoring four goals including two in the 3-0 semi-final win against Croatia.