RB Leipzig vs Manchester City preview: How to watch, team news, prediction and more | OneFootball

RB Leipzig meet Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League Last 16 tie, and we all have the information on the fixture here.

Both sides come into the game in strong positions in their respective leagues. City are just behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League despite inconsistent form by their standards. Leipzig are just outside the top four in the Bundesliga but are just four points off the top, such is the bunched nature of the German league this season to date.

City topped their Champions League group with relative ease while Leipzig roared back after losing their opening two games to finish just below Real Madrid in theirs. For City in particular, the Champions League is the holy grail, and with the cloud of 115 Premier League charges hanging over them, this could be their last chance to do it under Pep Guardiola. That their first knockout tie comes against another club with a questionable ownership model just adds to the narrative.

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Here is everything you need to know as RB Leipzig take on Manchester City.

When do RB Leipzig play Manchester City?

The match takes place on Wednesday 22nd February with a kick-off time of 20:00 (GMT).

Where will RB Leipzig vs Manchester City be played?

LEIPZIG, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 11: Fans arrive at the stadium prior to the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and 1. FC Union Berlin at Red Bull Arena on February 11, 2023 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

The match will be played at the Red Bull Arena, where they beat both Real Madrid and Celtic in the group stage.

Where can you watch RB Leipzig vs Manchester City?

For UK viewers, the match is live on BT Sport 1, with coverage starting at 19:00 (GMT).

For Sky customers, that is channel 413 while for Virgin customers, it’s 527.

With the game being on BT, it of course is also available on the BT Player and Sky Go.

A BT subscription is required.

Previous meetings

The clubs have only met on two previous occasions, which came in last season’s group stages. The spoils were shared, with both sides holding home advantage.

A nine-goal thriller was the story at the Etihad, where City ran out 6-3 winners. City’s six goals came from six different players, with Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake on the score sheet as well as the recently departed duo of Gabriel Jesus and Joao Cancelo. The sixth was an own goal.

On the other hand RB’s goals were courtesy of Christopher Nkunku’s stunning hat trick. The French star will be joining Chelsea in the summer, so he’s one for Premier League fans to keep an eye on in this tie.

Leipzig won the reverse fixture 2-1 with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Andre Silva putting them two up before Riyad Mahrez grabbed a late consolation.

Both games saw the losing sides suffer red cards, with former City player Angelino being sent for an early bath at the Etihad while Kyle Walker was given his marching orders at the Red Bull arena.

The names of the two stadiums are a nod to their ownerships, both have been heavily criticised over the years.

Leipzig will definitely be without former Liverpool keeper Peter Gulasci, centre back Abdou Diallo and Spanish star Dani Olmo for the game, and none are likely to be back for the second leg either. Christopher Nkunku made his injury return from the bench in the weekend's 3-0 win at Wolfsburg, but given his importance to the team, expect him to start here, via Transfermarkt.

City come into the knockout rounds with a clean bill of health, which will make Pep Guardiola's team selection even harder to predict given his penchant for random rotations. We'll give it a go below.

Predicted Lineups

Match prediction

RB Leipzig 1-3 Manchester City: Both sides like to attack, so expect a good game here with City's higher quality shining through. Who'd bet against Erling Haaland being centre stage and among the goals on his return to Germany?