City’s struggles reached new lows on Saturday with a humbling 4-0 Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Feyenoord cruised to a 3-0 Eredivisie victory over Heerenveen, arriving in Manchester on the back of strong domestic form. For City, the contrast couldn’t be starker—just weeks after celebrating Guardiola’s contract extension, they are now grappling with their worst home defeat under his management.
Saturday’s humiliation saw James Maddison score twice on his birthday, with Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson adding to the damage. As City faltered, Liverpool fans dared to dream, with the champions’ dire autumn form raising hopes of a shift in the title race.
Tuesday’s match offers City a chance to break their losing streak and rewrite their European fortunes. Their last Champions League outing ended in a shocking 4-1 loss to Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon, leaving the reigning Premier League champions languishing in 10th place in the league phase standings.
A defeat against Feyenoord would mark City’s first back-to-back home losses since 2018, though they’ve gone 33 home games without a non-penalty shootout loss in the Champions League. Feyenoord, by contrast, last suffered a home defeat in the competition just a few weeks ago, falling 3-1 to Red Bull Salzburg.
Despite their struggles in Europe, Feyenoord have found their groove domestically, with dominant wins over Almere City and Heerenveen. However, they trail PSV Eindhoven at the top of the Eredivisie and sit in the bottom half of the Champions League standings with six points from four matches.
Notably, those six points have all come on the road, including wins over Girona and Benfica. A victory at the Etihad would see them make history with three consecutive away wins in the European Cup.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2017-18 group stage, where City thrashed Feyenoord 4-0 in Rotterdam before securing a narrow 1-0 win at home. A repeat of that result might not satisfy City’s fans entirely, but it would be a welcome relief for a side desperate to regain their footing.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Manchester City will be without Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg), and Mateo Kovacic (undisclosed injury) for their Champions League clash with Feyenoord. Ruben Dias is also unlikely to feature as he recovers from a calf issue.The only potential returnee is Jeremy Doku, who’s nursing a thigh problem, but even if fit, Pep Guardiola is expected to make several changes. Kevin De Bruyne, who impressed with some slick play off the bench on Saturday, could start in an overhauled attack alongside Jack Grealish. At the back, Nathan Ake may step in for either John Stones or Josko Gvardiol.
Feyenoord, meanwhile, are dealing with an even bigger injury crisis. Their 3-1 loss to Salzburg not only dented their Champions League hopes but also saw playmaker Chris-Kevin Nadje sent off, ruling him out of the trip to Manchester.
Adding to their woes, eight players missed their weekend win over Heerenveen, including star striker Santiago Gimenez (hip), first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow (muscle), and captain Quinten Timber (ankle), all of whom remain doubtful for Tuesday.
The injury list also includes Hugo Bueno (unspecified), Jordan Lotomba (hamstring), Ayase Ueda (muscle), Ibrahim Osman (unspecified), and Quilindschy Hartman (knee). However, Hartman wasn’t included in Feyenoord’s Champions League squad due to his long-term absence.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester City possible starting lineup:Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Stones, Ake; Nunes, Lewis; Savinho, De Bruyne, Grealish; Haaland
Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Nieuwkoop, Trauner, Hancko, Smal; Hwang, Zerrouki, Milambo; Moussa, Carranza, Paixao
EXPERT PREDICTION
Feyenoord 1-2 Manchester City
With Feyenoord dealing with a deeper injury crisis than Guardiola’s squad, Tuesday’s match presents a golden opportunity for Manchester City to break their losing streak, and it’s one they can’t afford to miss.
Given that Feyenoord have managed just one clean sheet in their last 19 Champions League matches, City should have no trouble finding the back of the net multiple times and securing a much-needed victory, one that could potentially kickstart a winter revival.
