Man City v Bayer Leverkusen: Confirmed line-ups as Pep shuffles pack for UCL clash

Manchester City will look to extend their unbeaten run in the Champions League when Bayer Leverkusen visit the Etihad this evening.

City have taken 10 points from their first four games in the league phase and another win against Kasper Hjulmand’s men will put them in a commanding position to claim a top-eight finish.

Boss Pep Guardiola cut a visibly angry figure following the weekend defeat at Newcastle after a number of key decisions went against his side.

But he will also hope for a more clinical display from his team after Erling Haaland suffered a rare off-night on Tyneside. A goal for the Norwegian against Leverkusen would see him score for the sixth successive appearance in the Champions League proper for the second time in his career.

Guardiola knows it won’t easy, however, against a Leverkusen team that have improved markedly following Hjulmand’s arrival to replace Erik ten Hag.

“They’re third in the Bundesliga and it’s a massively important game in terms of finishing in the first eight,” he said.

Leverkusen followed up a 1-0 win at Benfica and 6-0 home league thrashing of Heidenheim with a 3-1 victory at Wolfsburg on Saturday, leaving them two points behind second-placed Leipzig in Germany and eight shy of leaders Bayern Munich.

MAN CITY TEAM NEWS

City will “wait a little longer” on Rodri’s return to full fitness, while fellow midfielder Mateo Kovacic is also out.

Midfielder Bernardo Silva and winger Savinho must avoid bookings or incur suspensions for the trip to Real Madrid on December 10.

Unsurprisingly, Pep Guardiola has once again mixed his pack, handing starts to the likes of James Trafford, Oscar Bobb and Omar Marmoush, allowing other key players a rest.

Man City: Trafford, Khusanov, Stones, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Lewis, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Bobb, Savinho, Marmoush

BAYER LEVERKUSEN TEAM NEWS

Defensive midfielders Ezequiel Fernandez (knee ligament) and Exequiel Palacios (thigh and tendon surgery) and right wing-back Lucas Vazquez (back) are long-term absentees for Leverkusen.

Forwards Martin Terrier and Jonas Hofmann are not registered for the Champions League and centre-back Edmond Tapsoba and midfielder Robert Andrich are banned.

Defender Axel Tape (thigh and tendon), right wing-back Arthur (back) and reserve goalkeeper Janis Blaswich (muscular) are also out.

Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken, Quansah, Bade, Tillman, Schick, Poku, Grimaldo, Garcia, Maza, Kofane, Belocian

How to watch Man City v Leverkusen: Live online stream, TV channel

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.

TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Manchester City v Bayer Leverkusen stats

• These teams have never met before, although City have won 19 and lost one of their last 24 meetings with German teams, while Leverkusen lost eight and won one of their previous 12 away against English clubs
• The English side are unbeaten in their last 23 group stage and league phase home matches, winning 20 of those
• City need three goals to reach 300 in the Champions League proper
• Haaland has 10 goals in his last nine encounters with German sides and previously scored in six straight games in the competition proper for Borussia Dortmund between October 10 2020 and March 9 2021
• Guardiola will take charge of his 100th game in the competition as City manager
• Leverkusen have lost three of their last 20 European group stage and league phase matches, winning 12 of those
• They are seeking their 50th win in the competition
• Midfielder Claudio Echeverri has played in all of Leverkusen’s Champions League games since joining on a season-long loan from City in August and is targeting his first goal for them in the competition
• Four of Leverkusen’s five points in this season’s league phase have come away from home, including equalisers in the 82nd and 91st minutes to draw 2-2 at Copenhagen on Matchday 1
• None of Leverkusen’s last 27 European matches have finished 0-0