RB Leipzig vs Manchester City

RB Leipzig and Manchester City are set to face off against each other at the Red Bull Arena in a repeat of last season’s Champions League last-16 tie.

RB Leipzig squandered a 2-0 halftime lead in a dramatic 2-2 home draw against record-time Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich last weekend but still maintained their impressive seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W6, D1). Marco Rose’s side opened their Champions League journey with a 3-1 win at Young Boys on day one, yet Manchester City’s visit threatens to stir some painful memories. Indeed, Leipzig bowed out of last season’s Champions League round of 16 at the hands of this opposition, going down via a humiliating 8-1 scoreline. Despite their abysmal 7-0 loss at the Etihad, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ haven’t lost a home match against the ‘Citizens’ (W1, D1). Those fixtures are part of Leipzig’s 100% unbeaten ratio in home European matches against Premier League visitors (W3, D1), suggesting this won’t be a walk in the park for City.

Adding to this sentiment, plagued by injuries and Rodri’s suspension, Manchester City lost 2-1 at Wolverhampton last weekend, relinquishing a perfect six-game start to their Premier League title defense (W6). Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners will hope to preserve their dominant Champions League record after a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Red Star Belgrade on the opening matchday. Indeed, the ‘Citizens’ have only lost two out of their last 30 outings in the Champions League group stages (W22, D6). On top of that, since going down to Bayern Munich in 2014, they’ve only suffered one defeat in 21 subsequent European fixtures against German opponents (W16, D4). But after back-to-back away losses in the build-up to this trip, they cannot take anything for granted.