RB Leipzig vs Man City match details, head-to-head, team news, line-ups & prediction

Champions League holders Manchester City are seeking to recover from two consecutive domestic losses as they head to Germany for a group-stage encounter with RB Leipzig at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night.

City began the 2023/24 season with a flawless record, but their focus now shifts to the Champions League after a 1-0 loss to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and an unexpected 2-1 defeat against Wolves.

Leipzig have enjoyed an impressive start to their Champions League campaign this season. Marco Rose’s side secured a 3-1 away win over Swiss champions, Young Boys in gameweek one.

Despite losing some key players in the summer, including Josko Gvardiol to Man City and Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool, Die Roten Bullen have enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning seven, drawing one, and losing just one of their first nine matches in all competitions this season.

Just over a month following their comfortable 3-0 triumph over Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup, Die Roten Bullen found themselves on the verge of another victory against the Bavarian giants in the Bundesliga last Saturday. Goals from Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba established a 2-0 lead for Marco Rose’s squad within the first 26 minutes at the Red Bull Arena. However, Bayern staged a comeback, securing a 2-2 draw with second-half goals from Harry Kane and Leroy Sane, thereby ending Leipzig’s four-game winning streak in the top flight.

Leipzig eagerly anticipate a quick return to the Red Bull Arena, where they have triumphed in 12 matches and drawn three out of their last 17 home fixtures across all competitions since the beginning of the year. During this impressive run, they have scored at least two goals on 11 occasions.

Die Roten Bullen are determined to seek redemption against reigning champions Manchester City after enduring a heavy 8-1 aggregate loss to the Citizens in the round of 16 last season. This included a 1-1 draw in the first-leg home fixture followed by a resounding 7-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.

City’s defense have been vulnerable lately, falling behind four times in their last five matches, resulting in two losses. Pep Guardiola’s team cannot afford another sluggish start if they hope to end their recent downturn against a red-hot Leipzig side. This challenge comes before their Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

City’s strong performance in the Champions League offers hope as they aim to avoid a third consecutive defeat. They’ve lost only two of their last 30 group-stage matches and extended their overall unbeaten streak in the competition to 14 games. In gameweek one, they rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Red Star 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium.

This is a highly anticipated game between two top European sides and there is expected to be a fierce atmosphere at the Red Bull Arena. Fans can still buy Man City tickets for the game at Seatsnet but hurry as the match is expected to be sold out.

 RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Match Details

• Location: Leipzig, Germany
• Stadium: Red Bull Arena
• Date: Wednesday 4 October
• Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
• Referee: Artur Dias (POR)
• VAR: Tiago Martins (POR)

RB Leipzig vs Manchester City match stats and head-to-head

Manchester City have only failed to score once this season but have managed to keep just three clean sheets.

Julian Alvarez has been the first goal scorer for City in four matches this season.

This fixture has seen both teams score in three of their last four matches.

Manchester City have lost just one out of four meetings with RB Leipzig, notably securing a 7-0 win in last season’s group stage.

In the four meetings between these teams since September 2021, a total of 21 goals have been scored.

The most recent meeting saw Manchester City keeping a clean sheet with a 7-0 victory, marking the first fixture without both teams scoring.

Erling Haaland has scored 11 goals against RB Leipzig, more than any other opponent in his career, including five in City’s 7-0 win last season.

Over the last four meetings, with Manchester City winning two and RB Leipzig winning one, goals have consistently flowed, exemplified by 7-0 and 6-3 home wins for Manchester City.

RB Leipzig vs Manchester City Team news

RB Leipzig will likely miss midfielder Kevin Kampl, who sustained a hip injury in the draw with Bayern last weekend. Timo Werner (back), Dani Olmo, Willi Orban, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu are sidelined with knee injuries.

The potential absence of Kampl might see Nicolas Seiwald or Amadou Haidara starting in central midfield alongside Xaver Schlager. Xavi Simons and Emil Forsberg are expected to play further forward as advanced midfielders.

Despite his goal-scoring form, Benjamin Sesko may begin as a substitute, with Lois Openda and Yussuf Poulsen continuing their partnership up front.

For Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) and John Stones (muscle) remain sidelined with injuries. Bernardo Silva (leg) is doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Rodri, who is currently serving a domestic suspension, is eligible to play on Wednesday and is expected to slot into center-midfield alongside either Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes. Josko

Gvardiol could potentially replace Nathan Ake on the left side of the defense, while Jack Grealish might take a spot in the starting lineup, possibly replacing either Jeremy Doku or Phil Foden.

Julian Alvarez, who scored a brace in the Champions League against Red Star in gameweek one, is set to continue in the attack alongside Erling Haaland, who has a prolific history against Leipzig, scoring 11 goals in just six games, including five in the previous season.

RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City predicted line-up

RB Leipzig predicted lineup: Blaswich; Henrichs, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Schlager, Seiwald; Simons, Forsberg; Poulsen, Openda

Manchester City predicted lineup: Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland

RB Leipzig VS Manchester City prediction

RB Leipzig and Manchester City will both aim to continue their winning starts in Champions League Group G when they face off at Red Bull Arena on Wednesday. While City convincingly won their previous home meeting with Leipzig, this upcoming clash is expected to be much closer, given the differing recent forms of the two teams.

Leipzig have displayed an enthusiastic style under head coach, Marco Rose, characterized by speed, verticality, and directness, which caused Bayern Munich significant issues over the weekend.

Leipzig will likely see opportunities to breach City’s defense, but the anticipated return of Rodri is a significant boost for the visitors. There’s optimism that despite recent setbacks, City will regain their form and secure maximum points in this encounter.

Considering the history of their meetings since September 2021, this fixture consistently delivers goals, and Wednesday’s match is unlikely to be an exception.