Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City

Manchester City take a trip to Slovakia to encounter Slovan Bratislava in a ‘David vs Goliath’ UEFA Champions League clash at Tehelne pole.

Slovan Bratislava’s maiden appearance in the Champions League main stage started with a whimper rather than a bang as Celtic tore Vladimir Weiss’ side to pieces in a 5-1 thumping in Glasgow. The hosts could be staring down the barrel of another demoralizing result despite winning all four European fixtures on home soil this term. You’d expect Slovan to at least trouble the scoreboard after tallying 14 goals across those four triumphs. Moreover, they’ve bounced back from their forgettable night in Parkhead with three consecutive domestic wins by an aggregate score of 12-4. However, good omens end there for Slovan. They return to Europe to meet English opposition, looking to end a five-game losing run against Premier League clubs. The only mitigating circumstance is that none of those five defeats came by more than a two-goal margin.

As for Manchester City, Rodri’s injury threatens to destabilize Pep Guardiola’s star-studded team, as most recently evidenced by a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United last weekend. It was City’s second consecutive Premier League stalemate after John Stones’ 98th-minute equalizer helped the Citizens share the spoils with Arsenal (2-2). All-square contests have been a theme for Manchester City, as they drew 0-0 against Inter Milan in their Champions League opener, leaving a 2-1 EFL Cup win against second-tier Watford their lone win across their last four outings. Despite their recent troubles, the perennial Premier League champions can take heart from the club-record 11-game unbeaten run in Champions League away action (W5, D6), not to mention only one loss in all competitions since December 2023.