Pep Guardiola's side is currently experiencing a rare slump, with only one win in their last four matches, which has seen them slip from the top of the Premier League over the weekend.
City's challenging period began with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United on Saturday, where Anthony Gordon's second-half penalty canceled out Josko Gvardiol's opener.
Their only victory in the past month came against Watford in the EFL Cup, and they’ve drawn late with Arsenal and were held by Inter Milan in their Champions League opener.
Liverpool’s win on Saturday means City now sits second in the Premier League, but there's no reason for panic, as they’ve lost just once in regular time since December.
Entering this match, City is heavily favored and has a chance to equal Manchester United's record of 25 consecutive games unbeaten in European competitions, set between 2007 and 2009. After a draw at home to Inter, this match offers City an opportunity to kickstart their Champions League campaign as they aim to reclaim the trophy from Real Madrid.
The financial disparity between the two clubs is stark, with Slovan Bratislava's squad valued at just £24 million compared to City's staggering £1.04 billion. This suggests a tough challenge for the Slovakian side, which is currently on a five-game losing streak against English teams.
Slovan’s manager, Vladimir Weiss, faced a harsh reality check two weeks ago when they suffered a 5-1 defeat at Celtic to kick off their Champions League journey. Since then, they have rebounded domestically, winning all three of their matches and scoring 12 goals.
Currently sitting atop the Slovakian league, Slovan has been strong at home in Europe this season, winning all four of their matches. However, competing at this level will test them significantly.
If they hope to become the first Slovakian club to advance to the Champions League knockout stages, their chances will depend more on their performances against Girona, Dinamo Zagreb, and Stuttgart than on this match or their upcoming trips to Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
The big news this week is that Rodri will be out for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL during the match against Arsenal. The club has confirmed he sustained the injury in the first half last week.
To fill his spot in midfield, Rico Lewis stepped in against Newcastle, but Guardiola also has Matheus Nunes available as a potential partner for Mateo Kovacic.
Kevin De Bruyne missed the trip to the North East and is unlikely to play in this match, which could mean Phil Foden gets just his second start of the season after being benched against Newcastle.
Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are still sidelined with injuries, while wingers Savinho and Jeremy Doku may return to the starting lineup after starting on the bench last Saturday.
Slovan Bratislava played a strong lineup over the weekend despite this upcoming match, so not many changes are expected from that team.
Kenan Bajric is a doubt after missing the last game, which means Kevin Wimmer might continue in central defense alongside Jurij Medvedev at full-back. Danylo Ignatenko is back from injury and made a brief appearance in their win over Michalovce.
Slovan is likely to adopt a defensive approach, but if they can put pressure on Man City, Marko Tolic could be the key player for them, playing behind lone striker David Strelec.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Slovan Bratislava possible starting lineup:
Takac; Blackman, Kashia, Wimmer, Medvedev; Kucka, Ignatenko, Tolic; Barseghyan, Strelec, Weiss Jr
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Matheus Nunes, Kovacic; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City
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