Leipzig vs Man City Champions League round of 16 preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
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When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg between Leipzig and Man City.
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Leipzig and Man City meet in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday 22 February.
Leipzig vs Man City at a glance
When: Wednesday 22 February (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: RB Arena, Leipzig
What: Champions League round of 16 first leg (second leg: 14 March)
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Where to watch Leipzig vs Man City on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Champions League broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
In his two and a half seasons in the Bundesliga, Erling Haaland scored six goals in four games against Leipzig, so the German side have cause for concern as they meet City for the second time in as many seasons. In last season’s group stage, City won 6-3 in Manchester (Christopher Nkunku scoring a hat-trick for Leipzig) but went down 2-1 at the RB Arena on Matchday 6. A home win – by whatever margin – would suit Marco Rose's side fine here.
Starting line-ups
Leipzig: Blaswich; Klostermann, Orbán, Gvardiol, Halstenberg; Laimer, Schlager; Szoboszlai, Forsberg, Werner; André Silva
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Rúben Dias, Aké; Rodri, Gündoğan; Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Grealish; Haaland
Squad changes
Leipzig
In: Daniel Ihendu*, Ørjan Nyland, Winners Osawe*
Out: Péter Gulácsi, Hugo Novoa
Man City
In: Máximo Perrone
Out: João Cancelo
Form guide
Leipzig
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLDWWW
Where they stand: 5th in Bundesliga, German Cup quarter-finals
Man City
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWWLWW
Where they stand: 2nd in Premier League, FA Cup round of 16
Expert predictions
Steffen Potter, Leipzig reporter
Leipzig have struggled in front of goal over the past couple of weeks, injuries to Christopher Nkunku and Dani Olmo coinciding fatefully with a loss of form for Timo Werner. Rose has sought solutions, switching to three at the back, but the impending return of Nkunku will be a welcome sight – how quickly can the Frenchman get up to speed after three months out?
Matthew Howarth, Man City reporter
This has the makings of an awkward trip for the Premier League champions, who have been far from their best on their travels of late. Pep Guardiola will hope lessons have been learned from his team's last visit to Leipzig in December 2021, when they ended their successful group campaign with a disjointed performance in a 2-1 defeat. Recent results suggest there will be little to choose between the sides in Germany, but City have the personnel to turn the tie in their favour.
What the coaches say
Marco Rose, Leipzig coach: "I work closely with the players and I trust them a lot. We're playing against one of the best teams and we want to play with courage and use the opportunity we have. It will be a difficult game but anything is possible. If we go out there as a team and with our fans behind us, we can achieve great things. We're stronger together."
Pep Guardiola, Man City coach: "Leipzig will be tough opponents. We have known about their quality for many years. They have a culture of putting faith in young players, good recruitment, clear patterns of play, a lot of play in the middle, physicality; in German football in the transition they are unstoppable. I am full of respect for the club and what they've done."
Where is the 2023 Champions League final?
Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium will host the final on Saturday 10 June 2023.
The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.