Manchester City vs RB Leipzig Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

Manchester City will continue their quest for European glory when they welcome RB Leipzig to the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League last-16 second-leg clash on Tuesday.

The tie remains delicately poised as Pep Guardiola’s men failed to come away with a victory despite dominating in Germany after Riyad Mahrez’s opener was cancelled out by a late header from the highly sought-after Josko Gvardiol.

A famous treble remains on the cards for the Cityzens, who have embarked on a four-game winning streak since being held to a stalemate at the Red Bull Arena.

However, it took an Erling Braut Haaland penalty to sink a dogged Crystal Palace in a 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday evening.

Heading into Tuesday’s crunch tie decider on the back of four wins in a row bodes well for City as they seek to avoid a first last-16 exit since going down to Monaco in the 2016/17 campaign.

However, their recent record against German opponents suggests another difficult encounter with Die Roten Bullen may be on the cards, having won just one of their last four matches (D2, L1) against such sides, with the only defeat in this run coincidentally coming against Leipzig last season.

Marco Rose faces the daunting task of inflicting not only City’s first home defeat of the year but their first in the Champions League in nine years.

Guardiola was the last manager to lead a German club to a Champions League win at the Etihad with Bayern Munich in the 2013/14 campaign.

Winning two of their last three games leading up to this clash (L1) is not a terrible way to prepare for perhaps their biggest game of the season, and Leipzig have also been prolific in that run, scoring six goals while allowing three.

Rose led his side to a comfortable 3-0 victory over former club Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday, with Gvardiol, Timo Werner, and Emil Forsberg finding the back of the net.

The Germans will be looking to build on their previous success. But City will prove a more sophisticated opposition, and Leipzig’s appalling record when visiting English clubs could be their demise.

Match Preview

Manchester City

City have a place in the quarter-finals and a slice of history on the line in the meeting with Leipzig, as they could equal Arsenal’s 14-year record for the longest Champions League unbeaten home run by an English team (24 games between September 2004 and April 2009).

The Cityzens have remarkably not lost in 23 Champions League home matches (W21, D2), and their current winning streak at the Etihad across all tournaments stands at six games since New Year’s Eve draw with Everton.

City have also won each of their last nine Champions League matches against German clubs at the Etihad, scoring at least twice in each game.

The last team to claim success against City at the Etihad in a Champions League knockout tie was Liverpool in the quarter-final of the 2017/18 campaign – visiting sides have avoided defeat just once in eight matches since.

Mahrez has been directly involved in 11 goals across his last 12 starts in the knockout stages of the Champions League (seven goals, four assists).

The Algerian will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Leipzig again, having netted in all three of his matches against the Germans in the competition.

RB Leipzig

Since beating Tottenham Hotspur away in the 2019/20 Champions League last-16, Leipzig have not had much luck in England, losing each of their last three away matches against English clubs in this competition, conceding 13 goals in the process.

Leipzig are currently unbeaten in five Champions League games (W4, D1) – their longest run without suffering defeat in the competition since a seven-game stretch in 2019/20 when they reached the semi-final.

Leipzig boss Marco Rose has taken charge of three Champions League knockout games, with all three coming against City. His Monchengladbach side were eliminated by the Cityzens in the last-16 of the 2020/21 campaign.

The only previous instance of a manager facing the same opponent in his first four Champions League knockout stage matches is Frank Rijkaard against Chelsea between 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Manchester City vs RB Leipzig Potential Line-ups

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Manuel Akanji, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan; Riyad Mahrez, Erling Braut Haaland, Jack Grealish

RB Leipzig (4-2-3-1): Janis Blaswich; Benjamin Henrichs, Willi Orban, Josko Gvardiol, Marcel Halstenberg; Konrad Laimer, Amadou Haidara; Dominik Szoboszlai, Emil Forsberg, Timo Werner; Andre Silva.

How to Watch?

Man City vs Leipzig, alongside all other matches in Europe’s most prestigious club competition this season, is available to watch online via Champions League live streams.

And if you are interested in attending a future UCL game, see our Champions League tickets page for more information.

Manchester City vs RB Leipzig Prediction

Fans and spectators alike have been treated to a goal glut on each occasion where these two sides have met, and Tuesday night’s encounter should be no difference.

However, City’s home advantage should propel them to a narrow victory over the Germans in normal time to keep their Champions League dream alive.

Manchester City 2-1 RB Leipzig (Agg: 3-2)