Phil Foden to start in midfield – Predicted XI: RB Leipzig vs Manchester City (Champions League Last-16 First-Leg)

Manchester City begin their knock-out stage campaign on their quest to win the UEFA Champions League with an away leg against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night.

After cruising through the group stage picking up 14 points and conceding just two goals, Manchester City find themselves in a tie against German club RB Leipzig.

The two sides met in the group stage of last season’s Champions League, with Manchester City picking up a dominant 6-3 victory despite a hat-trick from Christopher Nkunku – who will certainly be one to watch in this tie, with the French International coming back from injury.

RB Leipzig did manage to secure a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at home however, following a Kyle Walker red card and a less than impressive performance from Pep Guardiola’s players in the final game of their group stage campaign.

The home side are having somewhat of an underwhelming season at face value, sitting 5^th in the Bundesliga. However, the German side are only four points off top spot, so it is impossible to rule them out of the title race. Manchester City’s form further fluctuated at the weekend, with a 1-1 draw to Nottingham Forest.

Despite the slight dip in form at the weekend, City are heavy favourites to progress in the competition. RB Leipzig will surely prove to be no slouch though, as their squad is packed with firepower under the guidance of coach Marco Rose.

This is why we expect Manchester City to name a strong XI, and here is how we predict Pep Guardiola to line-up in the beginning of their knock-out quest for the elusive Champions League trophy!

Predicted XI

Despite recently revealing that he receives a “scolding” from his wife after poor performances, we expect Ederson to remain in goal for this one.

Kyle Walker’s experience could be key in defence for Manchester City, so we expect him to make his fifth consecutive start for the blues.

Ruben Dias recently returned with aplomb to the City side, reminding fans why he was regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. For that reason, we expect him to start at the back for the Blues.

Rumours have been circulating recently of a potential new bumper contract for Nathan Ake, who is having his best season in a Manchester City shirt so far. The Dutch defender has flourished under Pep Guardiola, and we expect him to partner Ruben Dias in defence.

Bernardo Silva has become somewhat of a makeshift left-back in recent weeks, with the Portuguese international operating in that role most notably in the win away to Arsenal last week. The midfielder by trade is an incredibly versatile footballer, and we expect him to make a start and hold his place in an unorthodox role.

Rodrigo will almost certainly retain his place in defensive midfield for Manchester City.

Club captain Ilkay Gundogan has recently been in the spotlight after some slight disturbances regarding his current contract situation. Despite this, we expect him to almost partner Rodrigo in the defensive midfield position for City.

Phil Foden was subject to praise from Pep Guardiola following the disappointing draw to Nottingham Forest, with the City manager praising how aggressive he was, stating that he played “really, really good.”

Pep Guardiola also referred to his versatility when asked whether Phil Foden could play in midfield saying, “He can play four or five positions.” With that being said, we expect the Stockport-born midfielder to be in the team playing just behind the central striker.

After being rotated at the weekend, we expect Riyad Mahrez to return to the starting line-up.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we predict Erling Haaland to keep his place in the starting eleven. After missing a costly chance against Nottingham Forest, the Norwegian will surely be hungry for redemption in a competition he publicly loves playing in.

Jack Grealish is performing at the level we all expected when he first arrived at Manchester City, with the Englishman contributing in the form of both goals and assists now, including setting up the opener at the weekend for Bernardo Silva. For this reason among many, we predict Grealish to hold his place on the left for Manchester City.

Starting XI: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Ake; Rodrigo, Gundogan, Foden; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish.

Substitutes: Ortega, Carson, Lewis, Akanji, Gomez, Phillips, Charles, Robertson, Perrone, Palmer, Alvarez.