UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Manchester City - Bayern, UEFA Champions League: team news, injuries, suspensions, predicted starting XIs
Who is fit to play in the heavyweight Champions League quarter-final clash?
“From my point of view, Bayern are not a team built to just think it’ll happen second leg. They are coming to win”, said Pep Guardiola in the build up to the mammoth-sized clash at the Etihad Stadium (KO 11 April 3p.m. ET).
Manchester City will be looking to continue their goal-scoring run in the Champions League, as they currently have scored 22 goals in 8 matches of European football. But Bayern’s stern defence, which has conceded just 2 all tournament, will undoubtedly provide a tough test for Guardiola’s tactical mind.
However, Bayern sit top of their domestic championship and a comfortable 3-0 aggregate win over PSG has a lot of people convinced that the German outfit is the favourite across two legs. Thomas Tuchel also has the upper hand in terms of the statistics against Guardiola, having beaten him 1-0 in the last 2 cup game that they have crossed paths (and one of them was the Champions League final).
What injured or suspended players do City have?
City have almost an entire squad to choose from, after Erling Harland recovered from injury last week. Phil Foden is the only absentee after having his appendix removed recently. With that in mind, the City XI is expected to be largely consistent with what we saw against Southampton at the weekend, but with Pep and the Champions League, you never quite know.
A typical Champions League tinkering could be due from Guardiola against a Bayern side that look ominously accustomed to playing under Tuchel after just a couple of weeks of training.
What injured or suspended players do Bayern have?
The big news for Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern is that centre-forward Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting has been confirmed as out of the crucial away tie with a knee injury; either Gnabry or Müller is likely to replace him in the starting XI. Apart from that, it’s plain sailing for Bayern, who have won 8/8 Champions League games this season.
Potential starting XIs:
Manchester City potential starting XI: Ederson, Stones, Akanji, Dias, Aké; Rodri, Silva, Gündogan; De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland
Bayern Munich potential starting XI: Sommer; Pavard, Upamecano, De Ligt, Davies; Goretzka, Kimmich, Musiala; Müller, Gnabry, Sané
