Erling Haaland returns to familiar territory on Wednesday, and few opponents have suffered more from the Manchester City striker than RB Leipzig. Haaland has scored 12 goals in eight career appearances against the German club, giving Enzo Maresca's side a major weapon as they look to recover from a disappointing Premier League defeat. Here's the latest Manchester City and Champions League news, including team updates, probable lineups and how to watch.
City have six points from their first three Champions League matches, winning 2-0 at Porto and 5-1 against AEK Athens, with a 4-2 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in between. They sit 10th in the league-phase standings, but their immediate concern is getting back on track after a 1-0 loss to Brighton at the Etihad on Saturday. That followed another Premier League defeat at Aston Villa, leaving Maresca with questions to answer about his team's consistency.
Leipzig have three points and are down in 29th after losing 4-1 away to both Como and Real Madrid, with a 1-0 home victory over PSV Eindhoven their only European success so far. Their domestic form has been much better, however. Martin Demichelis's team beat Schalke 2-0 on Saturday to make it three consecutive wins in all competitions and climb to fourth in the Bundesliga.
There is also a personal connection for Demichelis, who made 15 Champions League appearances for City as a player. But the biggest threat to his side is Haaland. The Norwegian has scored 12 times in eight games against Leipzig, including five in City's famous 7-0 Champions League win in 2023. The hosts will need a far better defensive performance than they produced against Como and Real Madrid.
Leipzig will be without Assan Ouédraogo, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, and Marc Guiu, who has a muscle problem. Maxime Estève is a doubt after picking up a knock, while Christopher Nkunku has returned to training and could be available after sitting out the recent win over Schalke. The latest Leipzig injury and selection update also confirms that Christoph Baumgartner is ready to start after working his way back from injury.
Maarten Vandevoordt is expected in goal, with Ridle Baku, Willi Orbán, Castello Lukeba and David Raum forming the back four. Neil El Aynaoui and Ezechiel Banzuzi should feature in midfield alongside Baumgartner, who has been given the green light to start. Antonio Nusa, Brajan Gruda and Rômulo are the leading attacking options, with Nusa arriving in particularly good form.
Antoine Semenyo is City's only confirmed major absentee. The winger is recovering from a knee injury and is not expected back until December. Otherwise, Maresca has a near full-strength squad available, although there are decisions to make in defence and at left-back.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is expected to keep his place in goal, despite Maresca recently making clear that no player is guaranteed a starting spot. Marc Guéhi and Abdukodir Khusanov are pushing for places in central defence, with Rúben Dias another option. Matheus Nunes could start at right-back, while Joško Gvardiol and Nico O'Reilly are competing on the left. Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki are both strong candidates to start behind Haaland, with Jérémy Doku offering pace on the opposite flank.
RB Leipzig (4-3-3):Vandevoordt; Baku, Orbán, Lukeba, Raum; El Aynaoui, Banzuzi, Baumgartner; Gruda, Rômulo, Nusa.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1):Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O'Reilly; Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernández; Foden, Cherki, Doku; Haaland.
| Region |
Broadcaster |
| USA |
Paramount+ (English) / DAZN (Spanish) |
| Canada |
DAZN |
| UK |
TNT Sports 2 |
| Australia |
Stan Sport |
| Germany |
DAZN |
Kick-off is at 9 p.m. CET / 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post RB Leipzig vs Man City Today: Champions League Preview, Team News & TV Info appeared first on HEAVY .
