Manchester City Set to Face Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League Clash

Aiming for a Comeback

Manchester City will host Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night in a crucial Champions League match, seeking to bounce back after their recent performance.

Guardiola Seeks a Quick Reaction

Pep Guardiola expects an immediate turnaround from his Manchester City squad as they look to maintain their undefeated streak in the tournament, which could serve as the ideal setting for a response.

Current Standing

Entering this match, Manchester City holds fourth place in the League Phase rankings, having accumulated 10 points from their first four matches.

Last Match Performance

Following a dominant performance against Borussia Dortmund in their previous European contest, Manchester City is eager to inflict a defeat on another Bundesliga team and make it three victories in a row.

Anticipated Lineup Changes

Guardiola is likely to rotate his squad for the match against Leverkusen and might implement up to five changes from the lineup that faced Newcastle.

Defensive Restructure

The defensive lineup is expected to see adjustments, with Gianluigi Donnarumma remaining the goalkeeper, although he has managed only one clean sheet in his last five games.

• Rayan Ait-Nouri may come in at left back in place of Nico O’Reilly.
• Matheus Nunes is set to continue at right back.
• John Stones could take over from Ruben Dias to partner with Josko Gvardiol in the center of defense.

Midfield and Attack Adjustments

With Rodri and Mateo Kovacic unavailable, Nico Gonzalez might be rested to make way for Tijjani Reijnders, who has not started a match for Manchester City since their 4-1 victory against Dortmund.

Further up the pitch, Savinho may replace Bernardo Silva, while Omar Marmoush aims for his debut Champions League start against a German opponent, possibly joining Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku in the attacking lineup.

Haaland’s Scoring Streak

Despite missing several opportunities against Newcastle, Erling Braut Haaland has found the net in each of his last five Champions League matches and is expected to continue his role as a key striker in the upcoming game.