Both Manchester City and RB Leipzig currently share the top spot in Group G. They each secured 3-1 victories in their opening fixtures, defeating Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys, respectively, two weeks ago.
RB Leipzig has kicked off the new season impressively, even after parting ways with several key players over the summer, such as Josko Gvardiol, who joined Manchester City. They've notched seven wins, a draw, and only one loss in their initial nine matches across all competitions.
A little over a month ago, RB Leipzig secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup. They seemed to be on their way to another triumph against the Bavarian giants in the Bundesliga last Saturday. Lois Openda and Castello Lukeba scored goals, giving Marco Rose's team a 2-0 lead within the first 26 minutes at the Red Bull Arena.
However, Bayern Munich managed to salvage a 2-2 draw with second-half goals from Harry Kane and Leroy Sane. This halted Leipzig's four-game winning streak in the top flight, causing them to drop to fifth place in the table, though they are only three points behind the league leaders, Bayer Leverkusen.
RB Leipzig will be glad to return to the Red Bull Arena, where they have an impressive record of 12 wins and three draws in their last 17 home matches across all competitions since the beginning of the year. During this period, they have scored at least two goals in 11 of these fixtures.
In their upcoming match, RB Leipzig will be looking for redemption against the reigning champions, Manchester City. Last season, they suffered a heavy 8-1 aggregate defeat to the Citizens in the round of 16. This included a 1-1 draw in the first leg at home, followed by a resounding 7-0 loss in the return leg away from home.
Man City experienced their first consecutive defeats since January of the previous season. They lost in the EFL Cup third-round to Newcastle United and then suffered a 2-1 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last weekend. Prior to this, the team had only lost two out of their previous 41 games.
The defeat to Wolves came about due to a Ruben Dias own goal and a second-half winning goal by Hwang Hee-chan, with a brilliant free kick by Julian Alvarez in between. Despite having just one shot on target, Wolves managed to disrupt City's usual dominance in the final third, securing all three points at Molineux and putting an end to City's flawless start in the new Premier League season.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Leipzig's defender Benjamin Henrichs has suffered a minor hamstring strain and won't be available for Wednesday's game. He joins Dani Olmo, Willi Orban, and El Chadaille Bitshiabu, who are all dealing with knee injuries, in the treatment room. Additionally, Timo Werner is doubtful due to a back problem.However, Kevin Kampl is ready for selection despite a recent hip injury during the weekend draw with Bayern. He's expected to compete for a spot in the center-midfield alongside Xaver Schlager, who scored in the Champions League against Young Boys a couple of weeks ago. Xavi Simons and Emil Forsberg will likely operate further forward as advanced midfielders.
While Benjamin Sesko has shown promise with five goals in eight games this season, he may start as a substitute on Wednesday, with Openda and Yussuf Poulsen continuing their partnership up front for Leipzig.
Regarding Manchester City, Kevin De Bruyne remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury. However, John Stones (muscle) and Bernardo Silva (leg) have traveled with the team to Germany and could be part of the matchday squad on Wednesday.
Rodri, who was serving a domestic suspension, is available for selection against Leipzig. Guardiola has mentioned that Rodri will play in the center-midfield, likely alongside either Mateo Kovacic or Matheus Nunes.
Gvardiol is in contention to face his former club and may replace Nathan Ake on the left side of the defense. Jack Grealish could potentially replace either Jeremy Doku or Phil Foden in the starting lineup.
Alvarez, who scored a brace in the Champions League against Red Star in the first gameweek, is expected to continue in the attack alongside Erling Haaland, who has an impressive record of 11 goals in just six games against Leipzig, including five last season.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
RB Leipzig possible starting lineup:Blaswich; Klostermann, Simakan, Lukeba, Raum; Schlager, Kampl; Simons, Forsberg; Poulsen, Openda
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Foden, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTION
RB Leipzig 1-3 Manchester City
Leipzig may feel confident about their ability to penetrate City's defense, but the comeback of Rodri is a significant advantage for the visitors. We anticipate that Manchester City will recover from their recent disappointments and secure all three points, especially if Erling Haaland is in top form and on target with his shooting.
