Man City Face Slovan Bratislava in Historic Champions League Match
For the first time in their history, Manchester City travel to Slovakia to face Champions League debutants Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night. Pep Guardiola’s side looks to get back on track after a shaky recent spell, while Slovan hopes to bounce back after a heavy defeat in their opening group-stage match.
Match Preview
Manchester City come into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League. A penalty from Anthony Gordon canceled out Josko Gvardiol’s opening goal, and City’s recent form has been mixed, with just one win in their last four matches. After being held by Inter Milan on matchday one of the Champions League, City will be determined to secure a victory to jumpstart their European campaign.
Despite losing their domestic top spot to Liverpool over the weekend, City are still heavy favorites in this encounter. A win or draw would see them equal Manchester United’s record of 25 Champions League games unbeaten. With a squad valued at £1.04 billion compared to Slovan’s £24 million, City’s strength in depth is expected to prove too much for their Slovakian opponents.
Slovan Bratislava, meanwhile, endured a harsh introduction to Champions League football, suffering a 5-1 defeat to Celtic. Despite their struggles on the European stage, Slovan have been dominant domestically, winning their last three league matches and scoring 12 goals. Vladimir Weiss’s side will face a much sterner test against City, and their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages will likely depend on future matches against more evenly matched opposition.
Team News
City were dealt a huge blow with the news that Rodri will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL against Arsenal. Rico Lewis stepped into midfield in their last match, while Matheus Nunes is another option to partner Mateo Kovacic. Kevin De Bruyne remains sidelined, but Phil Foden could return to the starting XI, and Savinho and Jeremy Doku are also likely to feature.
Slovan Bratislava may make few changes from their weekend win over Michalovce, although Kenan Bajric is a doubt, and Lukas Pauschek remains out injured. Marko Tolic will be the creative focal point for Slovan, supporting lone striker David Strelec.
Possible Lineups
Slovan Bratislava: Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Medvedev; Kucka, Ignatenko, Tolic; Barseghyan, Strelec, Weiss Jr
Manchester City: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Nunes, Kovacic; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Comments
Post a Comment