Manchester City and RB Leipzig’s last-16 Champions League tie is finely poised at 1-1 ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s men dominated the first leg three weeks ago, racking up 62% possession and 12 shots in Germany. However, they failed to make the most of their dominance.
Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol cancelled out Riyad Mahrez’s opener midway through the second half, setting up a crucial showdown in Manchester.
It is worth noting that Man City have recorded four straight victories since the first leg, booking their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals while keeping pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
After thrashing Bournemouth 4-1, City defeated Bristol City 3-0 before beating Newcastle United 2-0, with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace coming last time out.
When you look at the bigger picture, Guardiola’s side are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, having claimed six wins and two draws since their last loss.
Having suffered a solitary defeat in their previous 12 outings, the reigning Premier League champions will be confident of advancing on Tuesday.
That said, RB Leipzig have taken six points from a possible nine since the first leg, meaning they remain third in the Bundesliga – seven points behind table-topping Bayern Munich.
After beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, Leipzig suffered a 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund before crushing Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 at the weekend.
It is worth pointing out that Leipzig have lost just two of their last 24 games in all competitions, although those defeats have come in their previous six outings.
Having avoided defeat in each of their past five Champions League matches – securing four wins and one draw along the way – the Red Bulls will fancy their chances of springing a surprise at the Etihad.
Head-to-head: Manchester City and RB Leipzig also met during last season’s Champions League, with Guardiola’s side notching a 7-5 aggregate victory.
Man City thrashed Leipzig 6-3 in England, while the Red Bulls claimed a 2-1 victory in Germany. That means both sides have won one of the three head-to-head meetings so far.
Team news: Manchester City have reported no injury problems ahead of the second leg, so Guardiola has a full-strength squad to choose from.
On the flip side, RB Leipzig will be without the injured quartet of Christopher Nkunku, Abdou Diallao, Peter Gulacsi and Xaver Schlager on Tuesday.
Although Man City have the home advantage for the second leg, Leipzig are expected to push Guardiola’s men all the way.
Forebet predicts that Manchester City and RB Leipzig will play out a thrilling draw in normal time, meaning extra-time and/or penalties will be required to determine the winner.
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